This Time the Dream's On Us / Storioni; Rossy; Schurmann

In 2015 Storione was one of the three finalists of the internationally known “Montreux Jazz” piano competition and won the “Langnau Jazz Piano Competition” in 2018. Storione is accompanied by veterans Jorge Rossy and Dominik Schuermann. And now we have a technically stupendous pianist at the relatively young age of 27, a classic jazz trio and an album title referring to the Great American Songbook. What could go wrong? The temptation, especially with young jazz musicians, is well known: to dazzlingly display their instrumental skills over a traditional framework, like a gymnast vigorously working out on the high bar. Unfortunately, the dismount often ends up, despite their virtuosity, stumbling into the mainstream of mediocrity. Pianist Yuri Storione excels in this endeavor by teaming up with two experienced musicians: the deliberate, steady and precise bassist Dominik Schurmann, and one of the world's best drummers, Jorge Rossy. The balance between the players is already expressed in the trio’s name. Apart from the Arlen tune, another milestone in jazz history, Thelonious Monk's "Ruby My Dear" is the only other work from the Great American Songbook. The remaining ten compositions are Storione’s and Schurmann's own creations – consistently melodic and, in their creative interplay brilliantly accented music — all of which reward the attentive listener with music that avoids all superficial gimmickry.