April 1998

John Colianni
John Colianni and Company
Dolphin

By Marcela Breton

On these 15 tunes, pianist Colianni demonstrates extraordinary facility. Lionel Hampton's liner notes state that Colianni's playing "immediately took me back to my early days with Benny Goodman." "Lover Come Back" and "Hallelujah" are dispatched with astonishing speed. Vocalist Kelly Bell provides bluesy touches on "Early in the Morning," "Caldonia," and "Outskirts of Town." The gifted Joe Midiri plays clarinet on "Indian Summer" and "Why Was I Born" and alto sax on "Let Me."