A powerful trio outing,
Joey Calderazzo's self-titled Columbia debut is comprised almost entirely of fine original compositions, in addition to
Bill Evans' haunting "Time Remembered" and
Michael Brecker's hard-swinging "Slings and Arrows." Bassist
John Patitucci and drummer
Jeff "Tain" Watts provide an unwavering and hip rhythmic foundation for the blazing pianist.
Calderazzo's tunes range from the richly contrasting waltz feels of "The Oracle," "Haiku," and "Catania" to the all-out uptempo fury of "Detonation." Combining melodic ingenuity, harmonic adventurism, and sheer aggressiveness of attack,
Calderazzo's playing on this record stands as a yardstick against which all other post-bop pianists can be measured. ~ David R. Adler