Dave Gelly 

Tina May and Enrico Pieranunzi: Home Is Where the Heart Is review – delightful

Jazz stars May and Pieranunzi complement one another perfectly in this absorbing, original album
  
  

Enrico Pieranunzi (left), Tina May (centre) and the bonus of a rare appearance by jazz saxophonist, Tony Coe (right).
Enrico Pieranunzi (left), Tina May (centre) and the bonus of a rare appearance by jazz saxophonist, Tony Coe (right). Photograph: Justin Doherty/PR

There’s so much to absorb in these nine pieces that, after two concentrated listenings, I’m sure there’s a lot more to take in. Enrico Pieranunzi, pianist and composer (and former professor of music), is one of Europe’s leading jazz stars, while the extravagantly gifted jazz vocalist Tina May should need no introduction. She has written lyrics that match his rangy melodies so well they now belong together. One song has words in both English and French, another contains a lyric added to a Chet Baker solo, a tricky form known as vocalese. Inventive and elegant, the whole collection is quite captivating. There is even the bonus of a rare appearance by the great saxophonist Tony Coe on two tracks.

 

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