Francesco Maccianti Quartet: Oasi

Francesco Maccianti’s new solo effort is an intelligent and uplifting album, rooted in the best of the classic post-bop tradition. Occasionally, the pianist pays his dues to Keith Jarrett’s Atlantic years and, often, to McCoy Tyner’s mid-1960 s dates. But Oasi bears all the classy signs of a hard-working quartet exploring the moody grooves and swing that Maccianti’s forthright piano style affords.

Maccianti ( b. 1956) surrounds himself with the world-class support of Lello Pareti on bass and Walter Paoli on drums and tops it off with Pietro Tonolo’s perfectly-focused sax playing. The four explore a great melodic sensibility and invest in strong interplay here, particularly during "Love For Sale." But Oasi ’s best moments are Maccianti’s originals: "Piramidi," a geometric mix of theme and feeling that’s never wronged by its bittersweetness and "Cristalli Mulatti," an intriguing study of crisis, built simply from a solo piano, then resolved among the group’s melodic sensitivity.

Like a storyteller, Maccianti informs as he instructs, and entertains as he educates. Indeed, Maccianti was my own piano teacher twenty-some years ago and the one, I’m grateful to say, who introduced me to jazz. Today, he is considered a leading figure in contemporary Italian jazz, a well-respected artist and often quoted as one of the best contemporary " young " Italian talents. Oasi proves that he is all this and more. A fine album that leaves one hoping for more...soon!