In his tenth CD, 88 Fingers, pianist Eyran Katsenelenbogen re-canvasses the landscapes of a number of moonlit sonatas taken from the American Songbook, offering fresh solo interpretations for standards like Rodgers & Hart’s “Lover” and Dizzy Gillespie’s “Groovin’ High,” and re-tooling arrangements for classics like Chopin’s “Improvisation On Waltz” and Mussorgsky’s “Improvisation On Promenade Theme From Pictures At An Exhibition.” Katsenelenbogen’s precision is effortless, and yet tactfully executed with the knowing skill of a master chef of International cuisine. The control in his finger movements across the piano keys is mesmerizing, and the complexity in the notations displays extensive knowledge of the piano.

The quilting of every composition exhibits massive detailing in the intricate curls and frothy crests, which cause Katsenelenbogen’s arrangements to become the sonic equivalent of paintings from Baroque artists like Reubens or Bernini where lines busily scurry across the canvass creating bombastic patterns scrolled with complete ease. Katenelenbogen takes stride into experimental art territory, expanding its parameters and widening its breadth of expressions.

Katenelenbogen does not take away from the familiar sparks of Gillespie’s “A Night In Tunisia” or Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill’s “September Song,” but he enhances their beauty like a florist who sees wider opportunities to incorporate new breeds of flowers into a family. There is an open mindedness in Katenelenbogen’s playing as well as a reverence for traditional jazz motifs and templates. He modernizes pieces for a contemporary audience to feel connected to the music. The tempos move to the stride of today’s world and sensibilities. He gives the rhythmic patterns a larger than life appeal, so the music jumps out into the audience and carries them along the fragrant trills and delightful mazes.

88 Fingers is an album that captures the sophistication of classic tunesmiths as well as the ingenuity of modern day innovators. Katenelenbogen shows audiences the broad scope of the piano’s capabilities to create melodic pieces that can hold an audience in its trance from beginning to end, and never tires of doing so.