Italian pianist Andrea Cali's trio, featuring Christian Pepe on double bass and Simone Sferruzza on drums, was not formed with the idea of playing standards, but Take the Line follows a route that catches glimpses of past and present, mixing originals and three standards penned by some of the most influential pianists of all time - Lennie Tristano (Lennie's Pennies), Bill Evans (Five), and Chick Corea (Matrix) - three piano gods who were able to break any rules. The original compositions have a vintage feeling as well; as Cali puts it, Take the Line is halfway between past and present - traditional jazz and new tracks blend to create a personal path: the album follows a line somehow, both in it's performing approach and in the tracklist, and it sticks to it through both standards and originals. Take the Line is Cali's first project as a leader, and follows his work on Enter by Bologna-based group Bad Uok (Auand, 2012).