Canyon by Antonio Vivenzio

Italian pianist Antonio Vivenzio debuts as a leader with Canyon, a music storytelling

Narrative fragments and immense horizons make Antonio Vivenzio’s music a calm and quiet landscape: the clouds that sometimes appear will rapidly clear the way for crisp morning air or for a stretch of silence. His first work as a leader, out now on Auand Piano Series, is a collections of beloved themes for the pianist, who is also the composer of all the original tracks in the album.

The opening track, ‘Her Story’, is a fresh and colorful music tale on a simple melody line: among the strengths of this work is the ability to leave as many open doors as possible, using minimal arrangements. «The main idea I’ve tried to follow with my trio – Vivenzio says – is to avoid complex suggestions, and rather have basic material that would allow us to be comfortable when improvising. I think the main feature of the album is its fluency and freedom: arrangements are generally non-invasive. We don’t want to feel trapped in our improvisations».

Quite far from being obsessed by technical rigidity, Vivenzio focuses on music and its usability: Chet Baker and Bill Evans are huge inspirations for the trio, and the non-original songs in the tracklist (‘In a Sentimental Mood’, ‘So in Love’ and ‘Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers’) show a deep love for a music that leans towards stories to tell rather than towards improvised music storms. This approach highlights the creative sense of a bass player such as Claudio Ottaviano and the swing-filled drumming of the young Filippo Sala, who supports his companions with a solid comping that can be smooth and weightless when needed.

With is sparkling and rich sound, Tino Tracanna’s sax is the perfect guest for a work based on storytelling: the joyous, rhythmic opening on the title-track ‘Canyon’ casts a shadow on a dark piano line, being brightened after a moment by a shining melody in unison and by an improvisation that seems to happily roll on the slopes of a spare landscape, leaving music all the room it needs to fly high.