Pianist Marcus Persiani has been recording as a sideman since 1991 and as a leader since 2005. He has terrific command of the keyboard and smart taste in song choices, which is always a plus for me. His trio album released in September, In-Motion (Persiani Music), features Curtis Lundy on bass and Emanuel Harrold on drums. It's superb.
You may recall, I reviewed Marcus's quintet album The Proper Time, featuring George Coleman, earlier this month. Both that one and this one grabbed me, which is ultimately how I decide what to review. [Photo above of Marcus Persiani]
The songs on In-Motion are Duke Jordan's No Problem, Wayne Shorter's Edda, Sonny Clark's Royal Flush (also known as Nica), the standard For Heaven's Sake, Thelonious Monk's Bemsha Swing, Marcus's Shell Reading, Luis Demetrio's La Puerta and Marcus's Footstep Blues. [Photo above of Curtis Lundy]
What I love about Marcus's playing is his confident technique and the feel that's built in. Curtis drives the action on bass, and Emanuel's drums are tight and competitive on uptempo numbers and compassionate on ballads. Put this one on and just let it run. The music will sweep you away. [Photo above of Emanuel Harrold]
JazzWax tracks: You'll find In-Motion (Persiani Music) at Amazon here and on all major streaming platforms, including YouTube. You'll also find it streaming at Marcus's website here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Royal Flush (also known as Nica)...
Here's La Puerta...
And here's No Problem...
