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On David Liebman's trips to Europe, as with many of his gigs in the U.S., he chooses to play with so-called "pickup" bands. In Italy, one of his favorite and most skilled combos features drummer Tony Arco, bassist Paolo Benedettini, and pianist Roberto Tarenzi, a trio more than capable of knowing Liebman's tendencies, having played with him on numerous occasions overseas. As a result, they play Liebman's original music and standards favored by all four participants, done with no filler, some hefty solos, and a wonderful sense of the teamwork expected from a seasoned ensemble. These performances are culled from club dates in Florence, Bari, and Lamezia Terme, full of the fire and passion that Liebman's playing on tenor or soprano sax is known for. A tribute to George and Ira Gershwin, "G.I.G.," does not refer to any specific show tune, but does quote bop and John Coltrane-type phrases in a short melody — an easy swinger with Tarenzi's delightful, deft modal piano chords clearly ringing out. There's no derogatory inference to "Negative Space," but instead it's an aural depiction of an aura — the surrounding space of a solid object, or a person. A circle-the-wagons semi-melody in a delicate bossa beat, it features Liebman's acclaimed soprano sax in spatial and engaged dialog, intensifying in his personalized, familiar, overblown manner. The standards "Poinciana" and "Afro Blue" have been done to death, but the quartet adds to both of them, the former with the contemporary swayin
