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Simona Premazzi: Wave in Gravity
PRE

While listeners have heard Simona Premazzi play in the context of bands led by trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and saxophonist Greg Osby and on four of her own releases (Outspoken, The Lucid Dreamer, Inside In, Looking for an Exit), her solo piano album Wave in Gravity presents her artistry in its fullest, undiluted form. The idea isn't entirely new—she's performed solo many times—but it is the first time it's been documented on record.

A native of Italy, she came to New York in 2004 and quickly established herself in the city's jazz scene. Consistent with that, Wave in Gravity was recorded at Sear Sound on December 10th, 2021. The ten pieces aren't improvisations, however, but instead a collection of original compositions and covers to which she gave much thought and effort before entering the studio. Treatments of pieces by Andrew Hill, Thelonious Monk, Cole Porter, and even Bach appear on an album distinguished by range as well as a great many other things. There's nowhere to hide on a solo piano album, but Premazzi rises to the occasion splendidly.

In her lyrical, at times soulful renditions of the standards, her playing becomes part of the classic continuum of solo jazz pianism. Her elegant, playful interpretation of “In the Still of the Night” and effervescent take on “My Heart Stood Still” honour the originals' melodies whilst also using them as springboards for imaginative flights. Bach's referenced during the second half of “G Minor Thing/Wachet Auf,” a remarkable display of invention, and in similar manner, she opens “Monk's Mood” with a wide-ranging cadenza before settling recognizably into the tune proper. Her own compositions are idiosyncratic sites of exploration and adventure, be it the spidery intertwining of “Between Spheres” or the ruminative romantic excursion that is “I'll Take a Space Ship and Go and Find You.”

Swing, abstraction, and lyricism all find a place on this forty-six-minute statement. Her playing's distinguished by a highly developed technical facility, and that an advanced intelligence is in play is never in doubt. But the performances never register as academic exercises when the material, covers and originals alike, includes an expressive emotional dimension. A tune such as “My Heart Stood Still,” for example, brings that into sharp relief, with Premazzia's affection for the original evident in her swinging treatment. In some cases she coyly teases at a song's melodies or circles around them, considering them from different angles and testing out strategies; in others she voices the song directly, building on the core material and creating an intricate embroidery. With Wave in Gravity, this formidable pianist has produced an oft-dazzling recording.

February 2023


	Simona Premazzi: Wave in Gravity PRE While listeners have heard Simona Premazzi play in the context of bands led by trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and saxophonist Greg Osby and on four of her own releases (Outspoken, The Lucid Dreamer, Inside In, Looking for an Exit), her solo piano album Wave in Gravity presents her artistry in its fullest, undiluted form. The idea isn't entirely new—she's performed solo many times—but it is the first time it's been documented on record. A native of Italy, she came to New York in 2004 and quickly established herself in the city's jazz scene. Consistent with that, Wave in Gravity was recorded at Sear Sound on December 10th, 2021. The ten pieces aren't improvisations, however, but instead a collection of original compositions and covers to which she gave much thought and effort before entering the studio. Treatments of pieces by Andrew Hill, Thelonious Monk, Cole Porter, and even Bach appear on an album distinguished by range as well as a great many other things. There's nowhere to hide on a solo piano album, but Premazzi rises to the occasion splendidly. In her lyrical, at times soulful renditions of the standards, her playing becomes part of the classic continuum of solo jazz pianism. Her elegant, playful interpretation of “In the Still of the Night” and effervescent take on “My Heart Stood Still” honour the originals' melodies whilst also using them as springboards for imaginative flights. Bach's referenced during the second half of “G Minor Thing/Wachet Auf,” a remarkable display of invention, and in similar manner, she opens “Monk's Mood” with a wide-ranging cadenza before settling recognizably into the tune proper. Her own compositions are idiosyncratic sites of exploration and adventure, be it the spidery intertwining of “Between Spheres” or the ruminative romantic excursion that is “I'll Take a Space Ship and Go and Find You.” Swing, abstraction, and lyricism all find a place on this forty-six-minute statement. Her playing's distinguished by a highly developed technical facility, and that an advanced intelligence is in play is never in doubt. But the performances never register as academic exercises when the material, covers and originals alike, includes an expressive emotional dimension. A tune such as “My Heart Stood Still,” for example, brings that into sharp relief, with Premazzia's affection for the original evident in her swinging treatment. In some cases she coyly teases at a song's melodies or circles around them, considering them from different angles and testing out strategies; in others she voices the song directly, building on the core material and creating an intricate embroidery. With Wave in Gravity, this formidable pianist has produced an oft-dazzling recording. February 2023