Upon first hearing the two solo piano works that make up itz'at ("Pax Preludes I-XIII" and "Mariposa Liviana"), I was struck by their alluring, "static" beauty. Reminiscent at times of the music of Morton Feldman, though more lyrical, Mr. Diaz-Infante's compositional style tends towards delicate, shimmering harmonic structures and melodies of subtle movement. His approach to formal development is quite free, possibly indicating some degree of improvisation, and I initially wondered if this freedom would degrade into new age noodling. Refreshingly, however, I found both pieces on itz'at to be nicely unified and endowed with direction, albeit subtly -- in a gentle, flowing sort of way. With a general dynamic level that never exceeds mezzo piano and a tempo that is a consistent, comfortable rubato, itz'at is that kind of peaceful reflective art that makes life in our decidedly unpeaceful world more bearable. "Pax Preludes" indeed.
Ernesto Diaz-Infante itz'at Pax Recordings CD
			Review by Noah Wane

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