In his liner notes,
Reinhard Kochl
depicts this band as "four hungry German lions and a grey Italian wolf," an "animal experiment" if you will. There's hardly anything to sort out as the brilliant Italian trumpeter
Rava
is as on top of his modern mainstream game as ever, while pianist
Michael Flugel
, alto saxophonist
Frank Lauber
, bassist
Dietmar Fuhr
, and drummer
Dejan Terzic
prove to be inspired sharing the stage in this live, one-night, one-shot club date. The program starts off with
's original
"Diva,"
a 6/8 ostinato and
Horace Silver
-like repeated chords buoy a lilting, yet urgent melody, with
Terzic
getting an extended solo workout. The ever poignant
"My Funny Valentine"
starts with piano, trumpet, and bass only, brushes on drums in late.
is a master at romanticism, while
Flugel
evokes utter beauty on his lovely solo. A change-up occurs on
"You Don't Know What Love Is,"
tossing a reggae-ish feel into this famous tune. The arrangement is also different, as
, occasionally growling, and an inquisitive
Lauber
swap snippets of the melody line throughout the whole piece. A light, lengthy bossa line of
's well known composition
"Secrets"
fully exposes the bright, yearning
Charlie Parker
-ish alto of
and
's rambling, buzzing original style, and it's
that turns the intensity of the band up a notch in the mid-point of near 14 minutes. Unison trumpet and alto lines flash on and off, informing the heavy melody of
Sonny Rollins
'
"East Broadway Rundown,"
with less direct, more implied freely swung funk, whereas the bridge does walk and bop, out and out. A slow waltz for
sans
"Certi Angoli Secreti"
has the saxophonist tardy to conclude this satisfying set. As
is out of the general public's consciousness, this disc is a reminder of why he remains one of the finest trumpeters in all of modern jazz, while his bandmates assert themselves quite well on this excellent date. Highly recommended. ~ Michael G. Nastos