La Dolce Vita in Bloomington, MN

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
. 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."
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