Les Années Milan

French accordionist Richard Galliano's work for the Milan label includes lots of Astor Piazzolla numbers, to which he supplies bright, breezy treatments and an indubitable fidelity. The first CD of this set is filled with covers that showcase precise phrasing, playful virtuosity and a particularly French kind of passion: less angular and less troubled than the Argentinian maestro's originals. What is lacking at times is heart, as if Galliano and his accompanists are a little too polished and in control. On the second CD, Galliano's own compositions are foregrounded. Many are influenced by the Argentinian maestro, right down to violin glissandos and manic minor scales on the lead instrument. But the best are those on which the Frenchman emphasises his own slower, moodier signature and ushers into the arrangements a jazzy looseness.

All in all, Les Années Milan is a solid survey of the career of a serious musician who is Piazzolla's most faithful tribute artist.