Humour is rare in instrumental music, in jazz vanishingly so, but Milanese pianist Stefano Bollani is not afraid to mix virtuosity with bathos “because its cheaper than paying a psychoanalyst,” he says.
This homage to the Naples of his imagination is a collection of 16 musical short stories, veering carelessly from picaresque Italian street music to funk-drenched improv to cinematic whimsy, with the pianist moving from acoustic piano to Fender Rhodes to vocals as each story demands.
The excellent supporting cast includes clarinettist Nino Gori, saxophonist Daniele Sepe and drummer Manu Katché, but it is the central character who holds the attention from beginning to end.
Don’t let the humour fool you – Bollani may be a maker of mischief, but he is also a creator of the most sublime melodies.
