Rava's best in years!
lee morgan | NYC, NY United States | 03/29/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I havent seen Rava this engaged in his music since he played with Paolo Fresu in Montreal. Mark Turner is the perfect foil for him and his New York Unit far exceeds the Italian group he has been recording with for some time on ECM. The Birdland engagement was testament to this. Look he's not the Rava of the Pilgrim and the Stars but that was over 30 years ago. His sound is flawless, the ideas are strong. His playing is quite remarkable for his age. A sky full of stars for this date.
I have no idea what the more "negative" reviewers are listening to. Its a great recording.
The Lion of Trieste roars again."
Very introspective and mellow, but nice nonetheless
G B | Connecticut | 11/28/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Like most ECM studio discs these days, this album sticks mostly to the "slow and introspective" end of the spectrum. This means that you won't get anything hard-swinging.
That said, after multiple spins the strong quality of the music begins to emerge. Given the ensemble and the dark sound, Miles Davis's 2nd Great Quintet is the obvious reference point. If you like the ballads on "Sorcerer" or "Nefertiti", this will be right up your alley. Enrico Rava and Mark Turner develop a strong chemistry; Larry Grenadier and Stefano Bollani are great as well. Really, my only complaint is about Paul Motian, who is incredibly restrained through most of the disc. The guy is a great texturalist, no doubt, but it's a shame we don't get to hear him thrash around that much. The compositions are generally excellent and, once they reveal their secrets, memorable.
Maybe I'll revise my rating for this later to the full 5, but one thing for sure - it doesn't deserve a low or medium rating."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1