At 66, Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava is experiencing an artist upsurge. Tati, his followup to the acclaimed Easy Living, which brought him back to the ECM label after 17 years, is as broad-reaching and penetrating as anyth... more »ing he has done in years. Ranging from a piece inspired by free jazz giant Ornette Coleman to an adaptation of Puccini's "E lucevan le stelle" from Tosca, it melts the boundary between jazz and other genres with supreme ease. Heading a "inside-outside" trio including his young piano partner of recent years, Stefano Bollani, and the great drummer Paul Motian, Rava succeeds where other ECM artists have not--using the label's ethereally controlled sound to heighten his lyricism, not hermetically seal it. The horn man wrote most of the material, including "Jessica Too," a crisp exercise in counterpoint, and the title ballad, named after French film master Jacques Tati. The trio also feasts on established pieces by Motian including "Birdsong," which channels Erik Satie, and Bollani's darting, elliptical "Casa di bambola" ("Doll's House"). --Lloyd Sachs« less
At 66, Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava is experiencing an artist upsurge. Tati, his followup to the acclaimed Easy Living, which brought him back to the ECM label after 17 years, is as broad-reaching and penetrating as anything he has done in years. Ranging from a piece inspired by free jazz giant Ornette Coleman to an adaptation of Puccini's "E lucevan le stelle" from Tosca, it melts the boundary between jazz and other genres with supreme ease. Heading a "inside-outside" trio including his young piano partner of recent years, Stefano Bollani, and the great drummer Paul Motian, Rava succeeds where other ECM artists have not--using the label's ethereally controlled sound to heighten his lyricism, not hermetically seal it. The horn man wrote most of the material, including "Jessica Too," a crisp exercise in counterpoint, and the title ballad, named after French film master Jacques Tati. The trio also feasts on established pieces by Motian including "Birdsong," which channels Erik Satie, and Bollani's darting, elliptical "Casa di bambola" ("Doll's House"). --Lloyd Sachs
"The trumpet of Enrico Rava can be recognized from his own personal phrasing althought he comes from a minimalist tradition of trumpet players and great musicians such as Miles Davis and Chet Baker. His last work is a confirmation of a maturity and elegance which are giving us a few golden notes to live better. The interplay with the young italian world famous piano player, Stefano Bollani, is wonderfull and by themselves are sufficient in exploring the essence of the music. Paul Motian does not look like being at his best, he is not interplaying with the expected energy and decision to underline the wonderful moments Rava and Bollani are gifting us. The duo, Rava - Bollani, would have deserved 5 stars."
Transcending...
V. Atanassova | San Francisco, CA | 05/26/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Indeed, I saw Rava & Bollani in concert too and I'd never heard them before that. I found Rava's music completely transcending. It takes you to another reality. Not only that, but every sound was delivered with an absolute perfection, and an awareness for the space around and living things in it. I lost my first CD but I'm getting it again, along with "Easy Living"."
Great album
dig-it-the-most | New York | 04/14/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I saw Enrico a few weeks ago with Bollani (but without Motian) and picked up this CD after the gig.
The music was pretty much the same as this recording. Many of the tunes are the same, as is the very spacious quality.
I have seen Chet a few times, Miles a half dozen, but not when Miles was playing this way with Herbie (to some extent.) With Chet and Miles gone, this is your best chance to hear this kind of trumpet playing live, so go check them out at once! You won't find this kind of maturity in music often.
"
Great Lazy Day Music
Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 04/07/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Though I was previously unfamiliar with Enrico Rava, I bought Tati after a recommendation from a fellow jazz aficionado who heard it online. I listened, read the reviews here, and listened again. Five stars? C'mon! Though Tati is an excellent CD to enjoy while kicking back on a lazy day, it doesn't come close to five-star status. It is so laid back that one could describe it as a barbiturate for the ears!
That's not to say I don't like it. Tati is just fine, but there is not a single cut that truly stands out. I agree with those who would compare Enrico Rava's music to that of Chet Baker, Miles Davis, or even Tomasz Stanko and I will try out another of his recordings. But I will save Tati for cool, rainy days like today."
Dark undercurrents without a double bass
Steve Wyzard | Lomita, CA | 02/09/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Released in 2005, this album probably came as a surprise to many long-time listeners of Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava. Not only is there no bass player, but also no cornet, no flugelhorn, no trombones, no saxophones, and no guitars. Just trumpet, piano, and drums. It's a very intimate and personal recording, and this will no doubt lead other reviewers to complain it's too slow and doesn't swing. Yes, without being too derivative, it is reminiscent of the darker, after-hours tones and textures of ECM labelmate Tomasz Stanko.
Rava's golden tone and time-honored style are heard to their best advantage in "The Man I love" and "Golden Eyes", while on the impressionistic title track, he's far too piercing and shrill to be dismissed as "smooth jazz". The clouds part for the three best songs on the album, "Mirrors", "Jessica Too", and "Cornettology". All Rava originals, they feature faster tempi, fiery trumpet outbursts, excellent piano accompaniment from Stefano Bollani, and intense pounding from legendary drummer Paul Motian. Other tracks are simple dirges ("Birdsong", "Gang of 5") or improv pieces ("Fantasm", "Overboard").
The black-and-white booklet photos from the sessions help add to the late-night, noirish atmosphere. Bollani shines throughout, with Motian adding much brush and cymbal work behind the horn lines. This has unobtrusively become one of my favorite Enrico Rava albums, and he deserves much credit for simultaneously wandering off the beaten track while remaining true to his own individual style. At 54:49, Tati does not outstay its welcome, but it does look forward to Rava's much-too-long 2008 album, The Third Man (which does without both bass AND drums). Were it not for Manu Katche's Neighbourhood, this would be a serious competitor for jazz album of the year.