Record of the day: Stefano Bollani, “Piano solo”

Stefano Bollani, “Piano Solo” (Cd ECM 1964)

On the occasion of this second album recorded alone (the first for the prestigious Munich label), Stefano Bollani momentarily puts aside the extroversion and taste for jokes that have made him one of the most popular jazz musicians even among a public of non-experts.

“Piano Solo”, perhaps thanks to the long arm of the producer Manfred Eicher, is an austere work and prone to dark tones (the low register of the piano is the one explored in the most exhaustive way) even if the curiosity and eclecticism so typical of the personality Bollani’s mercurial style are reflected in the varied choice of songs on the programme, which range from tangos sung by Carlos Gardel to Scott Joplin’s ragtime, from the Beach Boys’ “Don’t Talk” to Prokof´ev of the “Concerto for piano and orchestra N°1” and to excellent compositions by Bollani himself such as “Sarcasmi” and “Buzzillare”, from total improvisations to the standards of the American songbook (also paying homage to Louis Armstrong through “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans”), opening the curtain with the splendid melody of “Antonia” written by her colleague Antonio Zambrini (do you remember him? we met him on January 4th), here subjected to a complete process of harmonic reorganization with an almost Scriabinian flavour.

Instrumental virtuosity is not really lacking in Bollani but in this album it is directed towards a maximum concentration of the musical discourse (all the numerous pieces are in fact rather short) favoring an expressive dimension different from the usual, where it is possible to perceive echoes of Monk’s pianism, Nichols and Bley, however, mixed with an absolutely personal taste for sound and harmonic richness, while from a melodic point of view Bollani confirms his taste for a rhapsodic period where unpredictability is an axiom, an authentic founding ingredient that binds everything together (but it must be said that even in the freest moments Bollani retains an iron sense of compositional structure intact).

It may be that some people like this more serious version of Bollani less: personally I find it refreshing that the pianist has chosen to give space to a dimension of his personality that is talked about too little (compared to the smiling one) but which deserves just as much attention.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical topics.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: A record for every day of the year” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.