Aficionados of European films will especially enjoy these treatments of movie themes, featuring a quartet jointly led by bassist
Giovanni Tommaso and trumpeter/fluegelhornist
Enrico Rava, with pianist
Stefano Bollani and drummer
Roberto Gatto. Throughout the recording, there is a consistent sense of interplay where no one seems relegated to a role in the musical background. The highlight of these studio sessions is the extended, dramatic treatment of
"La Dolce Vita," which unfolds into a multi-faceted arrangement that makes it seem like it would have made a fine film score itself.
Rava's muted horn is the centerpiece of
"Mondo Cane" (which incorporates the well-known song
"More").
"Cronoca Familiare" mixes a solid
hard bop foundation with adventurous solo flights by
Bollani and
Rava. There are also several originals written by the band's members. The bassist contributed the tense
"Cinema Moderno," a piece full of delightful twists in a
post-bop setting, as well as the lush
ballad "La Prima Volta." Rava contributed the playful
"Il Sogno di Hitchcock" and the moody
"Ammazzare il Tempo," written for a 1979 film. The musicians keep their written comments to a minimum within the booklet, evidently preferring that listeners provide their own mental images to go with the quartet's intriguing music. ~ Ken Dryden
