Album: New York Days

Song Title

Time

Lul—

Improvisation I

Outsider

Certi Angoli Segreti

Interiors

Thank You, Come Again

Count Dracula

Luna Urbana

Improvisation II

Lady Orlando

Blancasnow

Album: New York Days

Song Title

Time

Lul—

Improvisation I

Outsider

Certi Angoli Segreti

Interiors

Thank You, Come Again

Count Dracula

Luna Urbana

Improvisation II

Lady Orlando

Blancasnow

Performer Notes

The neo-noir textures of Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava's fine ECM release, NEW YORK DAYS, recall evocative, jazz-based film scores such as Gato Barbieri's LAST TANGO IN PARIS or Miles Davis's ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS. Joined by a stellar cast, including the fine pianist Stefano Bollani, contemporary tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, and the apparently ageless Paul Motian on drums, Rava conjures a rain-soaked, black-and-white urban fantasia on a finely produced, 77-minute set of moody originals. Rava, Turner, and Bollani are all strong stylists, however, so there is little danger of their being fully submerged in the impressionistic dark waters. At times, the sound resembles the post-bop chamber jazz of Miles's celebrated '60s quintet, at others, the upscale European strains of film composer Nino Rota or tango master Astor Piazzolla. Either way, NEW YORK DAYS is one of the outstanding jazz releases of 2009.

Professional Reviews

Down Beat (p.65) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "NEW YORK DAYS shimmers like a gauzy landscape painting, with Turner's husky, vertical phrases and the hiss of Motian's cymbals and dominant textures."

JazzTimes (p.78) - "Turner is the wild card here....His lines are austere and vertical whereas Rava plays sensuous, free, floating forms."

JazzTimes (p.36) - Ranked #37 in JazzTimes' "Top 50 CDs of 2009."

Record Collector (magazine) (p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Rava, an Italian trumpeter of some repute and a lengthy career, presents seven original recordings that find hip on tip-top form..."

Signal To Noise (magazine) (p.64) - "Following a two-part improvisation in which Rava and Turner exchange roles at the halfway point, the trumpeter concludes with a pair of gorgeous ballads featuring melodies that are more fully formed."