The unfamiliar material on this CD, which is comprised of three songs from pianist
Luigi Bonafede and one apiece from each of the other musicians, is mostly hard-swinging advanced bop. The Italian quintet is comprised of some very impressive straight-ahead players.
Emanuele Cisi is a frequently hard-driving tenor saxophonist whose style mixes
John Coltrane and
Michael Brecker, while his soprano playing is fairly original. Trumpeter
Flavio Boltro looks more toward
Kenny Wheeler and
Miles Davis/
Wallace Roney (with some
Freddie Hubbard blasts), and the rhythm section is quite tight; pianist Bonafede is a particularly impressive soloist. There are a few departures, such as the trumpet/tenor duet on "First Smile," but most of the playing fits securely into the modern hard bop idiom. The jazz waltz "Aiova" and the driving "Chia Blues" are among the highlights of this release which, despite the obscure names, is well worth taking a chance on. ~ Scott Yanow