Better known for reissuing vintage traditional and mainstream jazz, Storyville Records is also capable of issuing fresh new material from modern artists. Here are a pair of trio recordings from the Jazzhus Montmarte in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Bassist Jesper Lundgaard teams up with Enrico Pieranunzi/p and Alex Riel/dr for a June 2014 gig of swinging standards. Lundgaard’s got a rich tone on the bass, and sets a good pace on the lyrically gentle “All The Things You Are” and “I Can’t Get Started.” Pieranunzi has a warm touch with soft hands on “Autumn Leaves” and gloats like a water lily on “My Funny Valentine. The team shows its dexterity on a kinetic “Oleo,” rounding out a well delivered set.
Christian Sands/p, Thomas Fonnesbaek/b and Alex Riel/dr join together for an October 2014 set, with the band in a swinging mood. Fonnesbael delivers a rich version of “So What” as he snaps his bass as the lead, while Riel is crisp and clear on the bop march “Moanin.” Sands’ own “Sand Dune” allows the composer to deliver some ebullient ivory work and his read of “Bolivia” skates like a stone thrown on a lake. The two disc set includes a sparkling “Stella By Starlight” and winsome “Someday My Prince Will Come.” Few pianist play this clearly anymore; all cacophonic excursions are eschewed here, with taste and eloquence still winning the day.
Storyville Records
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