Enrico Pieranunzi

Last night's audience at Whelan's was treated to one of the finest jazz concerts heard in Dublin for many years. Organised by the Improvised Music Company, the visit of the remarkable Italian pianist, Enrico Pieranunzi, along with a memorable drummer in Eliot Zigmund - in a trio impressively completed by bass guitarist Ronan Guilfoyle - produced music of consistently high calibre and, at times, extraordinary quality.

It was clear from the opening Footprints that this trio was on song, and by the time their second piece, Yesterdays, began they had already established a virtually seamless rapport. That, in itself, was a tribute to Guilfoyle's ability to fit in with the other two, who were obviously thoroughly familiar with each other's playing; in fact, the group's control of dynamics and nuance enabled them, on this and other material, to manage changes of mood and tempo with considerable aplomb, while maintaining a sense of continuity in their explorations of each piece.

For that, perhaps most is owed to Pieranunzi's own sense of structure, for his was the dominating and guiding intelligence in the music. Even through the most adventurous moments, like the astonishing explorations of I Hear A Rhapsody and the brilliant segue into Body And Soul, for example, there was a feeling of order behind even the comparatively freest episodes. It may be due in part to his definite roots in bop and to his classical background, but whatever the reason, a sense of order and direction was always evident, no matter how diverse the material - Nefertiti, My Funny Valentine, or his own pieces, Hindsight, With My Heart In A Song and New Lands.

And it was certainly evident in the superb investigation, harmonically, rhythmically and melodically, of Some Day My Prince Will Come, the most extraordinary and satisfying performance on this old warhorse I've ever been privileged to hear.