Pete Malinverni: An American in London

The exceptional pianist Pete Malinverni's An American in London was recorded live at Pizza Express Jazz Club, London, in November 2023. Joined by British musicians Dave Green on bass and Steve Brown on drums, Malinverni offers an appreciation of the cultural intersection of American jazz and those songs that pay tribute to London, a city that continues to fascinate him. The trio craft a narrative that swings from the bustling energy of Carnaby Street to the reflective serenity of London's parks.

The session opens with the Gershwins' "A Foggy Day (In LondonTown)" with Malinverni scampering over the keyboard looking to find all those nooks and crannies that the Gershwin brothers had fiendishly buried throughout the melody. Harking back to his time as a Master of Music at an African-American Church in Brooklyn, NY, Malinverni and the trio gives a master class using the American spiritual "Joshua F'it the Battle of Jericho." In this powerful interpretation, Malinverni's percussive piano striking and up-tempo excursions transform the number. The rhythm section is all in, with drummer Brown providing extra muscle and steam engine momentum.

Love songs can be about falling in, falling out of, or taking a chance, on love. Malinverni points out in the liner notes that a love song can also be about "what if," and "My Ideal," written by Newell Chase and Richard A. Whiting, seems to fit the bill. Starting with a touching vocal run-through of the lyrics by Malinverni, the trio picks up the ballad with an emotional and nuanced interpretation. Green delivers a short, expressive bass solo, a perfect foil for Malinverni's melodic piano lines. Acknowledging his talented rhythm section of Steve Brown and Dave Green, Malinverni wrote "Brown and Green." This contemplative and understated number is beautifully constructed, showcasing Malinverni's compositional prowess.

The final two tracks have a decidedly London orientation. The first, "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," is a romantic popular ballad written in 1939 by Eric Maschwitz and Manning Sherwin. Malinverni offers an interpretation filled with his delicate touch and profound lyricism, capturing the song's inherent nostalgia. The Beatles flashed across the North American psyche in 1964, and their music created an ear-worm that has never dissipated. Malinverni and the trio transform this classic composition, "A Hard Day's Night," into a bluesy, almost gospel warmth, eschewing its original pop sensibilities for something more profound. Green's bass work grounds the number with a steady yet exploratory approach that allows Malinverni's piano to dance atop Brown's steady yet inventive drumming.