Stone in the Water

Stefano Bollani | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: ECM Records
• ASIN: B002HWBSMI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,356 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, November 4, 2009

By 

Daniel Volovets (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stone in the Water (Audio CD)

I admit, I have a soft spot for piano trios that specialize in ballads. Though I have read that the pianist on this record, Stefano Bollani, can play much more than ballads, the tunes on this album are all slow-mid tempo. The trio's performances of the two Brazilian pieces, one by famous Tropicalia-era singer/composer Caetano Veloso and another by the great Antonio Carlos Jobim, are easily the highlights of the album. The latter, "Brigas Nunca Mais", is definitely my favorite cut... Bollani preserved the purity of the original (as performed by Elis Regina) while imbuing it with a Bill Evans-esque sensibility, practically echoing Bill's performance of "My Foolish Heart" at the Village Vanguard in 1961...

The typical ECM album usually fails to move me -- some artists on the label think that sparse playing automatically makes it enjoyable. But Bollani's trio keeps things harmonically, rhythmically, and melodically interesting (the bassist's solo on track 1 is great) despite the relatively sparse playing. If you like Bill Evans releases like "You Must Believe in Spring" or "Moonbeams", any Eddie Higgins trio album, or just fine jazz ballad playing in general, do yourself a favor and pick up "Stone in the Water".

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My first attempt at a review on Amazon...., March 24, 2010

By 

Robert Scarlett (MI, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stone in the Water (Audio CD)

I've never felt compelled to write a review of the many CDs I've purchased from Amazon over the years, but felt I had to say something about Stone in the Water. I purchased this disc several weeks ago and have listened to it every day since, sometimes more than once, and I can't recommend it highly enough. The majority of my listening is to classical music, especially piano since piano performance was my major through one year of graduate school before I changed majors. (I'm now a visual artist.) But I'm particularly fond of jazz piano trios: Bill Evans of course, as well as many others, including Keith Jarrett, Tord Gustavsen, Bobo Stenson, Martial Solal, Gordon Beck.... But for reasons I can't fully explain, Stefano Bollani has captured my attention and my heart in a way none of the others has, not even Bill Evans (dare I admit that?). I hope that ECM will continue to encourage him and support him because I think this is a trio that is going to continue to grow together in a remarkable way. Don't know what else to say other than that if this were still the days of the LP, I'd be laying in several copies for fear of wearing out more than one.
Robert Scarlett, MI, USA

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOOD MUSICIANS PLAY TOGETHER LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW EACH OTHER, February 28, 2010

By 

David Keymer "David Keymer" (Modesto CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stone in the Water (Audio CD)

Italian pianist Bollani's Danish Trio has been playing together for six years. It shows in their playing, in the telepathy of one member's responses to another member's musical moves. This is high quality piano jazz. The overall tone of the album is so low key that the casual listener may not notice how well these three musicians play together or how high a quality their playing is. The album includes songs by Caetano Veloso and Jobim, and a greatly reworked classical piece by Poulenc, as well as Bollini's tuneful and musically interesting originals. The album was recorded live in New York last October. As with all ECM recordings, the production is high quality.