Take the Line

Italian pianist Andrea Cali's trio, featuring Christian Pepe on double bass and Simone Sferruzza on drums, was not formed with the idea of playing standards, but Take the Line follows a route that catches glimpses of past and present, mixing originals and three standards penned by some of the most influential pianists of all time - Lennie Tristano (Lennie's Pennies), Bill Evans (Five), and Chick Corea (Matrix) - three piano gods who were able to break any rules. The original compositions have a vintage feeling as well; as Cali puts it, Take the Line is halfway between past and present - traditional jazz and new tracks blend to create a personal path: the album follows a line somehow, both in it's performing approach and in the tracklist, and it sticks to it through both standards and originals. Take the Line is Cali's first project as a leader, and follows his work on Enter by Bologna-based group Bad Uok (Auand, 2012).