[Dixielandjazz] Italians & Jazz

[Steve barbone]

Not really OKOM except for a mention or two, like; "an off-kilter sense of
familiarity; its rollicking bop-meets-boogie cadence evoked Charles Mingus's
take on Jelly Roll Morton."

Fun to read if you are (1) Italian descent or (2) curious. Others may wish
to delete now.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone 

Jazz Review | Enrico Rava
At Birdland, Enrico Rava Treats the Mainstream Irreverently

NY TIMES - By NATE CHINEN -  April 4, 2006

Italy has yet to produce a more accomplished jazz musician than the
trumpeter Enrico Rava. Since the late 1960's, when he was a knockabout
presence on New York's thriving avant-garde scene, Mr. Rava has earned a
reputation for incisive instincts and an appealingly burnished tone.
Somewhere along the line, he became both a part of Italian popular culture
and, more meaningfully, a mentor to many of his country's best aspiring
players. 

So it was fitting that Mr. Rava was the linchpin of last week's celebration
of "Top Italian Jazz" at Birdland, part of an annual cultural exchange
organized by the producers of the Umbria Jazz Festival. With ensembles led
by the bassist Giovanni Tommaso and the pianist Dado Moroni, among others,
the event lived up to its billing. Notably, all six bands on the schedule
had some clear connection to Mr. Rava.

None clearer, of course, than the bond between Mr. Rava and his own quintet,
which performed on Thursday and Friday nights. Mr. Rava formed the group at
the turn of the century, providing a crucible for such raw young talent as
the trombonist Gianluca Petrella and the pianist Stefano Bollani. Frequent
touring over the last few years has turned it into a powerhouse, as
evidenced by Friday's first set.

In Mr. Rava's music, mainstream jazz traditions meet with a wry sort of
affection. On "My Funny Valentine" ‹ a signature song for two of Mr. Rava's
early heroes, Miles Davis and Chet Baker ‹ Mr. Rava played the melody
earnestly, but Mr. Petrella's obbligato was a hissing and spluttering
stream. Mr. Rava's "Algir Dalbughi" worked partly because of an off-kilter
sense of familiarity; its rollicking bop-meets-boogie cadence evoked Charles
Mingus's take on Jelly Roll Morton.

Mr. Rava imbued most of his solos with the same structure, escalating from a
sonorous middle register to a whinnying cry. And the ensemble had a weak
link in its new pianist, Andrea Pozza, who seemed wan and disengaged. (Mr.
Bollani, who appeared with his own trio, now performs with Mr. Rava as an
equal partner.) But the band's cohesion, underscored by the drive of Rosario
Bonaccorso on bass and Roberto Gatto on drums, outweighed its flaws.

The same was true of the other group on the program, consisting of the
Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi with the American rhythm section of Marc
Johnson on bass and Paul Motian on drums. The three musicians have
overlapping histories, and their rapport was strong. At times, the trio
indulged in melodic abstraction, most strikingly on Mr. Motian's "Abacus."
Its most coherent work was on a waltz by Mr. Pieranunzi called "Mo-Ti"; its
coloration invoked the Bill Evans Trio, which figured prominently in the
early careers of both Mr. Motian and Mr. Johnson, roughly a decade apart.

But that was only the evening's second-best example of Italian-American
musical alchemy. The best was a duet featuring Mr. Rava and Mr. Petrella, on
a theme by the free-jazz trumpeter Don Cherry. Mr. Rava, who worked with Mr.
Cherry in the 1960's, dug in with a fervent sense of swing. Mr. Petrella,
born in the mid-1970's, brought something special to the dialogue: an
absorbing, almost delirious irreverence.

Enrico Rava and Stefano Bollani perform tonight in Chicago,tomorrow in
Boston and on Friday in San Francisco.