Iiro Rantala at Rome’s Casa del Jazz: Hilarious virtuosity

Concert at Casa del Jazz, Rome, Italy, January 18th, 2015
It’s a fact: jazz in the Nordic countries doesn’t like to take itself too seriously or to put on airs. The best Finnish pianist, and one of the best pianists in Europe overall, can kid around with the audience as if it were all a great game and at the same time express such virtuosity that he renders them speechless. Rantala’s first important solo tour in Italy was a great success, likely to be repeated. The tour ended in Rome, where he was welcomed with enthusiasm, even though he is not at all as well known here as he is in central and northern Europe, where he fills the auditoriums.

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