released November 20, 2015

Fabio Giachino is an important new jazz pianist from Turin, Italy. Even this early in his career, Giachino has an impressive resume. He has performed at festivals and clubs throughout the world and, in addition to working with top Italian jazz artists, he has collaborated with Dave Liebman, Miroslav Vitous and Mark Nightingale among others. Giachino has led three CDs of his own (Introducing Myself, Jumble Up and Blazar) with trios and has been considered a major Italian jazz pianist since at least 2011. Balancing Dreams is Fabio Giachino’s first CD of unaccompanied solos. He performs 11 originals, Thelonious Monk’s “Thelonious” and Billy Strayhorn’s “The Star Crossed Lovers.” The songs flow logically from one to another. Giachino displays an attractive touch on the piano along with impressive technique but also shows a lot of self-restraint as he expresses honest emotions. While he considers Herbie Hancock to be a major inspiration and there are moments on the modal pieces where he hints at a gentler version of McCoy Tyner, Giachino avoids sounding like any of his historic predecessors. He displays his own fresh style within jazz’s modern mainstream. After the opening “Introduction” which is quite thoughtful, Giachino plays “Balancing Dreams,” a post bop jazz waltz. He is playful on a bluish version of “Thelonious” and creates a colorful dialogue between his right and left hands during part of “Crossings.” Probably the most memorable of his originals is “Awakenings,” a piece with a haunting theme that is a bit nostalgic and wistful. “Stride In Rhythm,” which is just 14 seconds long, precedes “Trane’s Mood” which is a little reminiscent of “Giant Steps” and of John Coltrane’s harmonic style in general.  Giachino clearly enjoys digging into “Underground Blues,” getting a bit lowdown. Two modal pieces, the ballad “Sand Land” and the jazz waltz “Moon Slice,” display his versatility. “Torinho-New Orleans-New York” is a change of pace, a piece in Italian that is a collaboration with rapper Ensi. Balancing Dreams concludes with an inventive yet melodic version of “The Star Crossed Lovers” and “Dynamic Sounds.” The latter has plenty of energy and features Giachino overdubbing on a second piano.  Balancing Dreams is an impressive solo recital by Fabio Giachino, a very skilled pianist who deserves to be better known outside of his native Italy.

(Scott Yanow)