Giovanni Guidi - A New Day (ECM)

Pianist Giovanni Guidi takes his regular trio of bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer João Lobo in a fresh direction with his latest album A New Day. While never shy when it comes to spontaneity, the threesome finds a new kick coming from guest James Brandon Lewis. The saxophonist never fails to bring the fire, but he’s also savvy enough to know how to serve another’s vision. Thus he can turn up the heat while still sliding right into the arrangements – check out “Only Sometimes,” an improvised piece that finds Lewis boiling over without sounding like he’s playing on a different tune than his fellows. That’s in part because the trio meets him halfway, as Lobo keeps the rhythms loose and lively, Morgan shifts between aggressive solos and an almost subliminal bottom, and the leader deftly follows his whims and wanders across the keyboard at will. That makes Guidi’s “Luigi (The Boy Who Lost His Name)” and the traditional “Cantos Del Ocells” gorgeous and unsettled at the same time – a trick only musicians this sympatico could pull off. Just to underscore the quartet’s direction, they apply their spontaneous style to the standard “My Funny Valentine,” dealing themselves the ace of hearts.