Enrico Pieranunzi: Live at the Village Vanguard (Cam Jazz)

Few phrases come with as much caché as the title of this new live recording from one of Europe's most distinguished jazz musicians. That fabled basement in Greenwich Village has seen and heard more than its fair share of musical history over the decades, not least the genre-defining trio albums recorded by pianist Bill Evans in the early 1960s. Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi is a worthy inheritor of that grand tradition, but even for Pieranunzi this one is special. Not only is his playing as inventive as ever, but joining him for this well-paced set of standards and originals are two old friends, both former Evans associates : bassist Marc Johnson and legendary drummer Paul Motian, the latter in relaxed form on one of his last trio recordings before his death last year. enricopieranunzi.com