Orvieto

“It is as if one mind were controlling four hands.” –Stefano Bollani 

The ECM piano duo release Orvieto readily suggests that old saying that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” But when the parts are acclaimed Italian pianist Stefano Bollani and American keyboard legend Chick Corea, the summation must be calculated geometrically. While Corea is a household name in the U.S. and abroad, Milan native Bollani may be less familiar, at least on this side of the Atlantic. An ECM recording artist since 2007, Bollani first gained international attention working with trumpet great Enrico Rava, and initiated his current partnership with Corea in 2009, playing a series of duet performances, including two sets from the 2010 Umbria Winter Jazz Festival that provide the 13 tracks of Orvieto. 

Chick Corea of course is no stranger to the art of the piano duo, having perfected the idiom particularly with Herbie Hancock while also pairing in recent years with Gonzalo Rubalcaba and  Hiromi, and, even at this writing, celebrating his 70th birthday at the Blue Note by performing in some stellar two-piano combinations with Hancock and Marcus Roberts. Perhaps Orvieto, Corea’s first ECM recording in 27 years, will prompt some duo gigs with Bollani in the U.S.? 

Each track of Orvieto allows just enough space for the two pianists to develop ideas independently and collaboratively without overdoing the inevitable dazzle on some spontaneous improvisations, originals from both pianists, a pair of tunes from Jobim, and few standards, all of which become the joint property of Corea and Bollani. And unlike most two-piano recordings, there is no “right channel”/ “left channel” distinction separating the two pianists—the recording puts the listener right in the middle of the mix as if sharing the stage with the sound engineer. The most discerning ear, if familiar with both pianists, can probably differentiate who played what note, but really, there is no reason to force the issue. As Bollani explained, there’s one brain directing four hands--not four identical hands, but four hands operating in effective tandem. 

Stefano Bollani and Chick Corea

The traditional “Tirititran” starts with handclaps and slaps, followed by quick turns of staccato phrases, more claps and stomps, and ingenious splicing of Brubeck-ish time fragments and a Corea-ish Spanish tinge. It’s a good set-up for Corea’s “Armando’s Rhumba,” given a spacious opening that evolves into a more complex and rambunctious conversation. Corea and Bollani close out the night, and the recording, with the mutually designed “Blues in F,” two guys at the top of world of piano artistry taking a blues scale and building a sonic puzzle to amuse themselves. And anyone within earshot. 

Surely Corea and Bollani were exhausted after 74 minutes of such spirited dialogue, but I doubt I will soon tire of listening to Orvieto. There’s a lot going on, and sometimes the lack of visual input is a bit frustrating—if only because it seems so likely that watching their interaction would add another dimension to the overall excitement of witnessing such fertile inventors at work. Is there a DVD in the works? In short, this is stunning music. And I want more.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites