Honduran-born, New Orleans-based pianist Oscar Rossignoli returns with Mar Adentro, a trio album due November 27th. He is joined by bassist Lex Warshawsky and drummer Peter Varnado, and together they float between classical music, Latin rhythms and jazz. The set is mostly originals with a handful of covers. Classical discipline, Latin rhythms and modern jazz improvisation coexist here without sounding like ingredients consciously assembled. Rossignoli has lived in New Orleans for over a decade and has previously released two solo piano recordings, Inertia and Levitations, plus three recordings with the trio Extended.
The album opens with a burst of energy. “Gitanerías” begins in rapid, virtuosic classical territory and morphs into an energetic jazz form, a journey from classical training to jazz freedom that reads like a mission statement for the whole record. The title track, Mar Adentro, meaning “out to sea” or “into the deep”, turns the piano into a little boat drifting into a cave of sound. It is all about discovery, using senses we rarely call upon. “Punadito de Arena” brings a folk element and a real thoughtfulness, and the three instruments leave space between them while staying connected, so you can hear each voice separately while hearing all three together. On “Star-Crossed Lovers”, Varnado’s delicate brushwork helps make the whole piece the musical equivalent of walking through fallen leaves in autumn.
“Shifting Contexts” is a personal favorite: more demanding of the listener, as these musicians deserve, with a rhythmic landscape that keeps bubbling and fizzing. “Ebbs and Flows” appears twice, and the two takes have distinct personalities. Take four, at track six, is jaunty and easy-going. Take one, the “espresso version” at track nine, is surprisingly delicate at times, and that lightness gives it its nimbleness. At more than ten minutes, “Serpent” is less a song than a chapter, full of narrative choices and atmosphere, and it is remarkable how much drama a trio can create. “Swinging at the Haven” rides rhythmic train tracks with no fear of where they are going. Throughout, the precision of all three musicians is masterful.
Mar Adentro is an exciting album, one that moves easily between classical poise, Latin warmth and modern jazz daring, and rewards close listening. Rossignoli, Warshawsky and Varnado play with precision, space and trust, and the music has a cinematic quality that is aching for a good film. After hearing it, one can only wish to see what Rossignoli might do as a film composer.
