One of the top young
stride
/
swing
pianists in the world today,
Rossano Sportiello
is from Italy and in his early thirties as of this writing. During a period when skilled
pianists are few and far between,
Sportiello
plays with a relaxed
, paying respect to the original melodies while also adding something of his own to each performance. He is so highly rated by his fellow musicians (although still relatively unknown to the American
jazz
public) that trombonist
Dan Barrett
wrote the liner notes to
In the Dark
. It is surprising that it took some time for this solo set to be reissued in the U.S. because
has since recorded for other labels, but
predates all of his other projects.
's wide-ranging set including
standards
,
Bix Beiderbecke
's
"In the Dark,"
"O Sole Mio,"
a
Bill Evans
trilogy, his own memorable
"Pettrioso,"
Ellis Larkins
' obscure
"Perfume and Rain,"
and a medley of an
Eastwood Lane
piece and
"Eastwood Lane."
~ Scott Yanow