ABOUT TONY ... “.... he’s naturally talented, in full and constant growing as a pianist and arranger; his well-balanced trio offers an exciting music, very elaborate but at the same time full of emotions and spontaneity...” Mario Luzzi (Musica Jazz)       “....we have many outstanding jazz pianist in Italy: here is another one, with a suitcase full of swing, technique and creativity; we’ll hear about him in the future....” Pino Candini (Musica Jazz)            “….This album confirms a very interesting artistic development. (…) With a careful listening of Pancella’s style we could find influences of great underrated pianists like Sonny Clark, Red Garland, Wynton Kelly, Phineas Newborn, from whom the pianist has absorbed the particular lesson of elegance and intense swing. It comes out a jazz record of great freshness; out of ballads and tunes so many times played, Pancella find charming and sometimes daring solutions, flowing out with a natural beauty, that comes from a sincere inner need, unlike those who consider jazz as an ability game…”      Angelo Leonardi (Musica Jazz)          “….this record reveals a pianist who is strongly connected with the great tradition of piano stylists like Hank Jones and Tommy Flanagan, but with a very modern harmonic taste. In this trio music, it comes out a rich and refined harmonic research and a tasteful use of arrangements …”     Stefano Zenni ( musicologist and critic – liner notes to LP “Dice”) “Elegant phrasing, harmonic research, precious capabilities of trio arranging, all is enlightened by a flowing swing that Lester Young would definitely have appreciated. I’m talking about Tony Pancella.”     Franco D’Andrea (international top jazz pianist - Liner notes CD “BasicJazzTrio)      “….with his fourth album “BasicJazzTrio” Tony Pancella clearly achieves his stylistic maturity and shows his leadership skills; strong evidences are his limpid style: its harmonic features, of Bill Evans’ derivation, makes it so distant from the academic bebop, and is very original in the italian pianistic panorama; his controlled technique put him aside from the virtuoso – romantic – piano players so frequent into the Evans-like piano players of today. (…).” Gino Fortunato (JAZZ, ‘n Blues ‘n Around) “…You will be the most important important new talent top musician on my label.” York von Prittwitz ( YVP Record Company producer - Germany )       "…a cursory hearing of this record with no information volunteered would most likely have led many people to believe that it was an astablished and bright young trio from NYC… (…) …these players sound the same as their US counterparts. If you enjoy piano trio jazz played with plenty of originality, go for this set. " Derek Ansell (Jazz Journal International – London, UK) “If there was such a thing as a “pure jazz musician” in this multicultural glogal village of ours, then italian pianist Tony Pancella would have a strong claim to the title…” Barry Davis (The Jerusalem Post – Israel) "If you were enamored by the Bill Evans Trio sound, especially in the beginning years, you will love this group. Beautiful tunes, lyrical moods and tasteful playing by all three wonderful musicians in complete empathy." Dave Liebman (international top jazz musician) " In listening to this CD, I have been amazed at how much raw emotion is conveyed and absorbed after each new listening. Tony Pancella has matured into one of the most promising pianist of his generation. With the support of two wonderful and masterful collegues, in Ulf Radelius (who first introduced me to Tony several years ago), and Pietro Iodice (an extremely gifted and sensitive drummer who does a masterful job of coloring all of the musical tapestries which are always flowing on this recording), Tony has assembled and masterfully crafted an effervescent collage of musical sounds which cover at least 4 decades of musical and stylistic development. It is a beautiful and very emotionally stimulating experience to listen to Tony Pancella at this special time in his life. I can say, unequivocally, that each successive listening of this CD gets better, which is really what this art form is all about!!" Keith Copeland (international top jazz musician) “… his tasteful composing reminds me of a sweet romantic mood, so tipical of Italy, country which Ennio Morricone comes from. His way of playing is noble and belongs to Bill Evans’ tradition. (…) you can find in this CD a lyricism, as in Enrico Pieranunzi, and a Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” type atmosphere, in the duo tracks. You’ll like this CD for sure, and it’s also wonderful to listen to its great sound: this recording brings back the pureness of the original sound of the acoustic instruments.” (Diskunion website – Japan) “Tony Pancella has a lot of credit among the jazz piano fans in Japan. This new CD fully satisfies their expectations. The original compositions are great. I felt completely in love with those melodies which go straight into the heart of the Japanese’s feelings. (…) also Tino Tracanna on tenor saxophone sounds beautiful: bitter, in a positive meaning, like a good cup of tea or coffe…” (Yamamoto Takashi – Tokio, Japan) “ Listening to Different Stories, you’ll find a full and rich music, but intimate and sophisticated in its many impressionistic moments. Pancella’s style comes from Bill Evans and it goes through soft colors’ landscapes, searching with great mastery a neat, sharp sound, with a soft, clear touch. Its overall sound is so fascinating because it goes straight to high musical quality without any artifice. We must underline at this point the marvellous tecnical quality of the recording: straight to two-tracks, with no effects or editing, which shows to anybody how this kind of tecnical care makes the listening experience so intense, especially when the artistic levelo is so high. “      (Pier Luigi Zanzi – SUONO Hi Fi Magazine) “When listening to this new CD, you’ll easily be fascinated by Tony Pancella’s elegant phrasing. This emotion is renewed after each new listening: the spontaneity and enthusiasm of this group, together with the armonic complexity of this music, make Different Stories so interesting and convincing.       The trio tracks with Pietro Iodice and Ulf Radelius, reminds sometimes of the Bill Evans’ trios for their atmosphere, the tender piano introductions, but all in a up-to-date context; great original compositions, tasteful arrangements, a good interplay. (…) and a lot of energy comes out of the duo tracks with saxophonist Tino tracanna: his neat voice, sometimes biting, melt with the soft, warm sound of Pancella’s ‘comping, and they melt up together, split, and superimpose in a involving game of call and response…” (Laura D’Incà – AllAboutJazz Italy –)          “ Tony Pancella is a good representative of the tradition that came out of Bud Powell and then has been refined by musicians like Tommy Flanagan, Sonny Clark and John Lewis. But from Pancella you can also hear the lyricism and refined sense of harmony that was the trade mark of Bill Evans.          On "Different Stories" we hear beautiful and sensitive jazz trio of the best quality. The interplay is very good and it is a pleasure to recognise that one third of the trio is Swedish.          Bass player is Ulf Rådelius from Malmö and besides contributing with his fine and personal bass-playing he has also written some of the best compositions of the CD. A beautiful ballad named "Aimée" and a "festive" song called "Halebopp".” (Skånska Dagbladet Magazine – Sweden)

"ALTER EGO" ”Duo pianists who really listen to one another” Tony Pancella Duo - Alter Ego (Larry Willis & Tony Pancella, pianos) Mapleshade Productions 11432, 51:01 ****: "I'm automatically predisposed toward two-piano jazz, and a duo would have to be pretty bad to get me to knock it, but this one is A-1 material all the way! Larry Willis has made a number of recordings for Mapleshade and produced many others. Tony Pancella was born in Italy, has appeared on a dozen CDs, and after spending time on the New York jazz scene and studying with Larry Willis now teaches and performs in Europe. The two reunited at an Italian jazz festival and in 2003 toured Italy as a duo. This disc is the latest edition of eight of their musical conversations. Unlike jazz improvisers who are thrown together for the first time in the studio for a duo album, Willis and Pancella have an intimate feeling for each other's approach to the keyboard, which comes out in these smooth and swinging improvisations. There are two Willis originals, one by Pancella, an Ellington classic, and the closer is Miles Davis' hit Blue In Green." - John Henry Audiophile Audition Magazine www.audaud.com

"SMILE AGAIN" "In the vein of notable names such as Jon Hendricks, Al Jarreau and Kurt Elling, jazz vocalist Miles Griffith has a resounding presence filled with earthiness and panache. For his second release, Smile Again, Italian jazz pianist Tony Pancella and his trio/quartet join him for a rousing venture of traditional and modern compositions. Griffith's developing art form has been witnessed on recordings by Jimmy Heath and Wynton Marsalis, and most recently on Nick Russo's Ro. But his distinct scatting and vocalizations, which have been described as “scatolicious” and likened to “Satchmo on steroids,” really make him stand out as he entertains and exhibits a tremendous level of improvised technique. Covering the sounds of mainstream and modern jazz, the album literally takes flight with “Arioso (Take Flight And Be Free),” where Griffith provides warm and colorful lyrics, and the band swings divinely. From the urban/rural reflections of “Life in The City” to the dark clouds of “Here's That Rainy Day,” the vocals and the music cover a broad area of moods. The band is also tight, as on “Domingo,” where Pancella’s trio delivers impeccable timing and solos, and Griffith provides his own vocal instrument. The time-weathered classic “Autumn In New York” and the earthy ballad “Smile Again” are both warmly inviting, but there are also free exploits on “What Is That Beautiful Sound?” and ”Too High,” where Griffith mixes strange vocal sounds and the band offers dissonant lines. The recording closes with the spirit-lifting “Something Special,” which lends a warm glow to the set. Griffith is definitely one to watch and listen for, and this aptly titled release may indeed give listeners something to smile about. " Mark F. Turner AllAboutJazz Website www.allaboutjazz.com