Italian pianist Antonio Ciacca’s modern mainstream quartet session breathes dramatic fire and still contains the necessary dollop of lyrical charm. Thirty years old, favoring Thelonious Monk’s compositional spontaneity, and aware of the need for balance in one’s work, Ciacca leads two different quartets through several standards and a few originals.

Italian pianist Antonio Ciacca is the kind of musician who displays his influences without reservation. Steeped in the tradition of bebop and gospel piano, the New York resident is focused on swinging as hard as he can. Evidence of this can be heard on Rush Life, a hard-blowing quintet recording with tenor saxophonist Stacy Dillard, trumpeter Joe Magnarelli, bassist Kengo Nakamura and drummer Rodney Green.