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 ENRICO RAVA & STEFANO BOLLANI
The Third Man
Cat No. 1737322
Enrico Rava: trumpet; Stefano Bollani: piano
Eagerly-awaited first duo record on ECM for two of Italy’s greatest jazz musicians,
trumpeter Enrico Rava and pianist Stefano Bollani
- Marvellous linear playing, beautiful melodies by these amazing improvisers making freely lyrical jazz together
- They are a headlining act at the 2007 London Jazz Festival, performing at the Barbican in a double bill with the Tord Gustavsen Trio (Wednesday 21 November)
- Rava and Bollani make an extensive national tour of the UK in April and May next year
- Music/Artist background: They have been playing together since the early 1990s, Stefano Bollani hailing trumpeter Rava as his mentor, and Enrico Rava regarding Bollani as “perhaps the most gifted pianist since Art Tatum”. After Rava’s highly acclaimed Easy Living (981 2050) – featuring the quintet which introduced Bollani to ECM listeners, and the equally appealing Rava/Bollani/Paul Motian collaboration Tati (987 0174) comes this superb set, recorded in Lugano in November 2006. Marvellous linear playing, beautiful melodies plucked from the air, two great Italian improvisers making freely lyrical jazz together. Most of the music is by Rava and Bollani, but there are also tracks by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Bruno Martino and Moacyr Santos.
One of the leading architects of Italian jazz, Enrico Rava was also one of the first Europeans to find wholehearted acceptance from New York’s players – in the mid 1960s he lived in NYC, working regularly with Steve Lacy, Roswell Rudd, Carla Bley. Rava’s first ECM disc, The Pilgrim and the Stars (1975), was followed by several acclaimed albums including 1986’s Volver, with Dino Saluzzi. Like Tomasz Stanko, Rava was first influenced by Miles and Baker, contributed to the development of free jazz, then later found a new, intensely melodic approach. Indeed, Rava is a real Italian singer with a trumpet.
Pianist Stefano Bollani, born in 1972, is a major talent, armed with prodigious technique. A professional musician since the age of 15, he’s played with everyone from Pat Metheny to Han Bennink, via Elliott Sharp, Lee Konitz and Phil Woods. His leader dates for Label Bleu – Les Fleurs Bleues, Småt Småt, Concertone and last year’s I Visionari – were very well received by the press. He has also appeared on the French label (which is no longer producing new recordings) with Enrico Rava, including the Miles Davis tribute Montréal Diary and Noir. He won the Italian Django d’Or in 2000. Following his first solo ECM album last autumn – Piano Solo (987 7372) – Bollani made a sensational first solo tour of the UK this spring, and he will also record for ECM with his Danish trio (bassist Jesper Bodilsen and drummer Morten Lund). This autumn he released his first classical CD, Poulenc’s Concert champêtre and improvisations for Avie (AV 2135).
Tracks:
- (4) Retrato Em Branco Y Preto 7.46 *
- (5) Birth Of A Butterfly 7.28
- (10) In Search Of Titina 4.27
- (11) Retrato Em Branco Y Preto, var. 7.42
- (12) Birth Of A Butterfly, var. 5.15 *
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