Lisipi: Lisipi

The group is called Trio Lisipi; the album is titled an (almost) eponymous Lisipi. The eye-catching album cover features a stylish and attractive young woman sitting at a piano wearing a pair of stiletto heels, bringing Brazil's Eliane Elias to mind. But the woman in the heels is Liliya Akhmetzyanova, a pianist with a Russian conservatory background who has taken up the art of jazz.

Trio Lisipi makes its home in Rome, Italy, making jazz that is a popular music/classical music/jazz hybrid, accessible and beautiful, beginning with the jaunty, strutting "Fit and Slim," a get-them-up-out-of-their-chairs-and-dancing tune, with a groove that pops with positivity. The tunes are all originals from the pen of pianist Akhmetzyanova. "Silver Muse" is more pensive than the previously described opener, with more a classical feel via the pianist's intonation and technique. It is not a brooding "pensive," but more of an energized introspection. For a truly inward balladry, "Barocco" stands out for its pure loveliness, with some subtle and deftly applied sweetenings—understated string sounds from an electric keyboard is the guess.

Bassist Sylvio Canarugu is integral to the success of the sound. He plays the electric bass, assertively, with muscle and soul, a sound that contrasts nicely with Akhmetzanova's refined keyboard approach. Drummer Pierpaolo Frailus is also an emphatic presence, rounding out the democratic piano trio sound.

Lisipi sounds like a celebration of life—on the spritely opener, "Fit and Slim," through the anthemic "Silver Muse," to the modernistic, danceable grooves of the title tune that closes this impressive debut.