Live at Siena Jazz

Italy produces an astonishing number of jazz pianists, several — such as Paolo Birro — of first-class stature. On its face, this is a simple, even conventional venture: piano, bass, and drums performing a set of mostly popular jazz standards. Yet, Birro's fingers produce a magic that transforms the pieces into something more than simple compositions. His virile, confident approach refreshingly interprets each song by clearly stamping his personality on it. This is decidedly anything but cocktail music; it is filled with serious interpretations performed live before an admiring audience. The pianist's strong right hand leads the way as each modestly arranged tune encompasses a tempered sophistication. Bassist Aldo Zunino and drummer Alfred Kramer listen closely to each other and subordinate individual sounds to the group. On the appealingly complex version of Birro's "Alcool," for example, the pianist's two-handed approach meshes with swinging drums and hard-hitting bass in an attractive display of pure synergy, while on Duke Ellington's "I Got It Bad," you can feel the loneliness as Birro compassionately and deliberately makes each note count. On Miles Davis' "Little Willie Leaps," the trio dances speedily as a unit, with Birro's colorful lead the predominant voice.