Sammy Stein
Marco Marconi is a pianist who studied classical piano and then jazz at the Music Conservatory of Perugia. He has played throughout Italy and Europe, including the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and the Lancaster Music Festival. He has been resident in London since 2012. On ‘Nordik’ – the first CD release by this phenomenal pianist he is joined Enzo Zirillia on drums and Andrea di Biase on bass. Both come with strong credentials. Enzo Zirilli has played has played at The Vortex in London and hosted at Ronnie Scott’s. His influences range from Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, 60s be-bop and hard-bop, contemporary funk and bossa nova.
He has worked around the world with great musicians including Enrico Pieranunzi, Gloria Gaynor and Tom Harrell. He is highly respected and has been called ‘an incredible musician’ by legendary Isreali sax man Gilad Atzmon. Andrea di Biase studied classical double bass at the conservatory of Milan before graduating with distinction from the Guildhall School of Music in London where he studied with Scott Colley, Drew Gress, John Taylor and Rufus Reid. He has played with Stan Sultzman, Norma Winstone, Pete Saberton and Asaf Sirkis amongst others. Together with pianist Liam Noble, Andrea plays in the new trio of the trumpet player and composer Kenny Wheeler and has played major festivals such the London Jazz Festival and The Hague Jazz Festival. He leads the Oltremare Quartet with pianist Antonio Zambrini, saxophone player Mike Chillingworth and drummer Jon Scott.
‘Too High Don’t Fry’ kick starts this CD and from the start it is clear this is something different, a new take on the trio of piano, bass and drums. The swingy, mesmeric theme is relished by the piano, underpinned by bass and drums and develops into a rippling, writhing beast of a number with dare-devil bursts of speed set off by short, sharp chords. The drum solo from Enzo Zirilli is effective and very engaging and tops the number cleverly until the theme is re-introduced by piano and bass. It is not until the second or third listen that you realise how complex the piano part is in the second half of the number, and how astonishingly rapid the finger movements are.
‘Nordik’ is slower and the piano dominates but not in a brash way. The theme is structured and weaves in an out around some great improvising sections where the piano, especially in the mid section, leads but the other instruments willingly follow providing key support to Marconi’s riffling, fast fingered notations. There is a gorgeous piano and percussion interlude with the piano playing short little riffs and open chords and the drum supporting before the theme is picked up again by the whole group. Again, the fast fingered work of Marconi defies possibilities.
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