Enrico Rava

Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava is at the top of his game here, in no small part due to the musicians who join him. The playing is deep, honest, emotional and utterly heartfelt. From opening Rava tune "Lulù" it's clear everyone came to make a statement. The trumpet playing is Miles-ish, because that's the only reference that's even vaguely close to the smears, chromaticism and bent drop-offs that give Rava's solo its graceful shape. If there's an MVP on this disc it's pianist Stefano Bollani, whose evocative lyricism and effortless accompaniment buoy the proceedings. Bassist Larry Grenadier can lay it down, as on "Outsider," or almost disappear to a tremulous pulse in "Interiors," an album highlight. Tenor saxist Mark Turner's lean, centred tone, singing altissimo and fluid technique make a balanced foil for both Rava and Bollani's feisty flourishes, although his low notes often uncharacteristically crack. However, it's drummer Paul Motian's playing that goes above and beyond. With a punctuating rim shot, a whisper-soft roll or a perfectly timed cymbal crash he creates a rhythmic world that encompasses his band-mates and creates a relativistic time universe that is magnificent and profound. Holy shit, does Paul play on these tunes! After the hormonal pyrotechnics of jazz's young lions have burned away, the grey-haired shamans' chants sing to our souls.