If it ever seems that the art of the jazz piano trio has gone as far as
anyone can reasonably take it – this given the legacy of great artists
like Art Tatum, Bill Evans, Cecil Taylor, Ahmad Jamal and Keith
Jarrett – the new recording by Italian master Enrico Pieranunzi is
a triumphant assertion of the durability and creative vitality of the
form. Working with two of the most musical players in the business,
bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron, Pieranunzi largely
avoids the Broadway songbook in favour of original compositions coloured
by his deep love and understanding of jazz but also his knowledge
of classical and Baroque form, folk and other popular music.
As a title, Hindsight may imply a looking back, but Pieranunzi
recognises that that is the only way to move the music forward.
The themes here may seem both naggingly familiar and utterly
fresh. It’s music of great generosity and openness, not a self-consciously
magisterial statement by a great artist content to rest on his
own reputation, but a contract of promise with the audience that
jazz is far from running out of new things to say and new feelings to
express.