Renato Sellani

The music of Thelonious Monk has long attracted musicians as fertile ground for improvisation, but Italian pianist Renato Sellani approached it in a very different manner. Choosing nine of Monk's most popular works, he tackled them as piano solos, emphasizing their inherent (but often overlooked) lyricism rather than turn them into show pieces for flashy arrangements. As a result, the listener is rewarded with Sellani's journey through these very familiar tunes, as the pianist retains the humor within many of them (though it is a bit more subtle); he gets more frisky with a brief, flashy introduction to "Monk's Dream" before settling down. There are two takes of "Ruby, My Dear" which both merited inclusion, while a second take of "'Round Midnight" adds tenor saxophonist Gianni Basso and trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso as the session's sole guests for a dramatic trio performance…

One of the acid tests to evaluate jazz musicians is to put them into a duo setting. This all-Gershwin program, pairing veteran pianist Renato Sellani and a rising young star, Fabrizio Bosso, who doubles on trumpet and flugelhorn, succeeds with flying colors. Since most (if not all) of this music is already very well known to jazz fans, the duo has their work cut out for them to find new approaches to each song. "The Man I Love" combines Bosso's virtuoso flügelhorn (including an incredible unaccompanied coda) and Sellani's spacious, understated accompaniment to produce a masterful interpretation. "Oh, Lady be Good!" is one of the most familiar pieces in the jazz canon, but their marvelous, playful, and subtle introduction builds up the tension before they finally switch to a more typical tempo…

Italian pianist Renato Sellani is joined by Massimo Moriconi and Massimo Manzi for this recording of nine tunes including a Naples Medley which consists of six parts.