Premazzi / Nasser Quartet: From What I Recall

Pianist Simona Premazzi began her journey in Italy, in a small town on the outskirts of Milano. She took her early musical education in her homeland and moved to New York in 2004. She made a name for herself there—no easy task. Her on-the-bandstand education includes stints with saxophonist Greg Osby and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. She eventually found herself playing gigs with saxophonist Kyle Nasser. The two began their collaborative musical partnership in 2021, forming the Premazzi / Nasser Quartet with bassist Noah Garabedian and drummer Jay Sawyer.

After a few years of extensive touring, the quartet has become seasoned. On their album From What I Recall the group dynamic is lively, quirky and cerebral in the most approachable way. And they sound supremely confident, putting out muscular statements or refined moments of introspection. Nasser splits his playing time between tenor and soprano saxophones. He and Premazzi share the composing duties, with four tunes credited to the pianist and seven to the saxophonist.

Nasser's "Iacchus" opens the set in a searching mode, full of elbow-bumping energy all around. Premazzi's "Back Seat"—reprised from her excellent solo piano set, Wave In Gravity (Pre, 2023)—is next, with a sneaky prowling piano groove. Then Nasser blows in with a yearning soprano tone. Premazzi ripples and the bass and drums break into an unsettled interlude, sounding like a shoving match inside a closet.

The quartet does one of the hardest things in jazz—they create a distinctive original voice. On his "Intro To Stalking," followed by "Stalking," the group sets the stage for a scurry through a labyrinthine cityscape. Premazzi is stellar here—agitated and angular, virtuosic. Nasser blows hot, creating a fierce sound.

Premazzi's "From What I Recall," the disc's title tune, gives off a positive glow, and the closer, Nasser's "Scamander," is a modern jazz tune with Premazzi offering up a lovely solo featuring an introspective/gregarious dynamic, giving way to Nasser's saxophone that is boldly declarative.

A fine debut for this quartet.

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