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Giulio Stermieri walks between jazz and present
on his new album “Stopping”
The Italian pianist marks his second work under Auand Records
His debut as a leader features Giacomo Marzi on double bass
and Andrea Burani on drums
After his debut on Auand Records with jazz-rock quartet Foursome in 2016, Italian pianist Giulio Stermieri is back with “Stopping”, his first album as leader on the label’s Piano Series with a trio featuring Giacomo Marzi on double bass and Andrea Burani on drums.
At the core of this work is a clear idea of balance: not only related to form or sound, but also to various jazz traditions. In the pianist’s own words: «It’s a rather accurate portrait of my idea of today’s jazz, of the jazz I like and, most importantly, of the jazz I believe can be a music for our times. Without nostalgia, and frank enough with the giants of the past, such as Paul Bley.»
A shadow of the Canadian pianist can be seen behind the band: this trio was born around a graduation concert focused on Mr. Bley, and the time needed has given the members enough chances to examine in depth his repertoire, rearranging it and retouching it in order to get a fully-detailed shared sound. The common work could count on an unanimous vision of jazz, freshly outlined by the seven tracks in the album. It can be found in the determination behind ‘King Korn’, in the ability to either play with dynamics (‘You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To’), or dive in a lively and surprising interplay (‘Una Muy Bonita’).
Among compositions by Thelonious Monk, Cole Porter and Ornette Coleman, the piano does not seek for easy choices, and is not afraid of sounding catchy and inviting, or aggressive and sharp at times. Giacomo Manzi’s double bass makes shines on ‘52nd Street Theme’ with his melodic approach, gradually evolving to get more and more feverish, while Andrea Burani on drums plays masterfully with space (‘Once Around The Park’), putting together a light canvas that surrounds the trio without curbing it.
The care in the making of “Stopping” has allowed the band to record, mix and finish the album in one day, but there’s more: «To each of us – Stermieri says – it was the confirmation of this album being the result of a defined work and our ideas being clear on the sound we wish for this trio».
credits
released March 3, 2017
Giulio Stermieri piano
Giacomo Marzi double bass
Andrea Burani drums
Produced by Giulio Stermieri, Giacomo Marzi, Andrea Burani
Executive Producer: Marco Valente
Recording: Bombanella Studio, Maranello (MO) – Italy on May 22rd, 2016
Engineer: Davide Cristiani
Cover Photo: Enrico bettinello
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