Kekko Fornarelli, the young Italian pianist, tells audiences that his current music is the result of a major life-and-art reappraisal – he calls it his own personal "big bang". It wasn't immediately obvious in his trio's London performance – the group initially seemed to occupy a generic space between the emphatic pop-chord potency of the Bad Plus and the guileful storytelling and impressionism of the late Esbjörn Svensson. After 10 minutes, however, it was evident that this classy threesome had very different stories to tell.
Fornarelli is a skilful instrumentalist with classical roots and a subtle improviser's mind, but this band's impact is a collective achievement. Double bassist Luca Alemanno was everywhere: in unison with the piano, throbbing inside a groove and delivering thoughtful improvisations of precise pizzicato and secure upper-range bowing. Drummer Dario Congedo sustained a hailstorm of snare-drum snaps and busy cymbal patterns; though, in such a small room, he sometimes steamrollered the piano sound, the effect was feverishly exciting.
The chord anthems of the opening piece soon gave way to a soft bass interlude, and its classically-inflected finale was wrapped in whispering electronics. A more playful theme from Fornarelli and Alemanno in graceful unison was picked up by a funk pulse that vibrantly swelled and then receded to a quiet tick. A quietly meditative and then percussive chord pattern built to a choral roar, an EST-like fast groove returned, Fornarelli pushed and prodded at his bassist's ensuing break as if he anticipated every turn, and though the following full-on drum barrage was inevitable, it was dazzlingly done. Fornarelli likes the middle and low registers, where his two partners are also active, but he doesn't give himself as much open space as his piano ingenuity perhaps deserves. Still, it was resoundingly obvious why this close-knit, thoughtful and viscerally exciting new trio are winning acclaim across Europe.
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