“Quotation Marks” was a
milestone for Italian trumpeter, now ECM mainstay, Enrico Rava. In addition to
being his first of many projects on Manfred Eicher’s watch, it was his debut as
leader. The record blends two sessions into a seamless program. The first
(December 1973) went down in New York City, where he was backed by guitarist
John Abercrombie, drummer Jack DeJohnette, keyboardist David Horowitz, bassist
Herb Bushler, and percussionists Ray Armando and Warren Smith. The second
(April 1974) placed Rava in Buenos Aires alongside Radolfo Mederos on
bandoneón, Finito Bingert on tenor sax and flute, Matias Pizarro on piano,
Ricardo Lew on guitar, and percussionists Nestor Astarita and El Chino Rossi.
Of this fine assembly,
Mederos’s sound rings foremost. His lovely bellows open “Espejismo Ratonera”
with a lilting air before Pizarro’s smooth pianism flushes its alleys clear for
less straightforward melodic explorations. Touches of tango warm the cockles,
making for an easy, patient entrance to Rava’s dancing grammar. Youth and joy
are obvious in his playing, which by a clever turning of the knob bleeds back
into the bandoneón with which the track began. American jazz vocalist Jeanne
Lee sings lyrics by Argentine poet Mario Trejo in the “Short Visit To Malena”
that follows. It too benefits from studio subtleties, fading in as if we were
being escorted from one nightclub to another. We seem to wander in at mid-song
and notice the crowd sipping their cocktails, arriving just in time for Rava’s
trade-off to Abercrombie. (I cannot help but be reminded at this point, if
you’ll forgive the comparison, of “Club Tropicana” by Wham!, which begins
outside and plunges the listener into a club atmosphere once the door is
opened.) “Sola” throws us headlong into the bounce of the South American band.
A flute solo here from Bingert stands as the album’s highlight. Like a light
streaking before an open lens, it lingers against the skip of bandoneón and
snare. The track fades all too soon, just as Lew catches a tailwind. “San
Justo” is another horizontal with dissonant verticals from Mederos and a gritty
prison break from Lew. Lee rejoins the cast for the heavenly watercolors of the
title track before her cathartic leaps float amid a heady beat of brassy
beauty, while in the steady groove of “Melancolia De Las Maletas” she adds
flips and dips. All of this gives plenty of ground for Rava to unleash his
confidence, handing it over to Abercrombie for a crunchy and edible passage.
We know these musicians are
capable of incendiary moves, which renders their restraint (and the occasional
burst) all the more intense. Rava especially takes time to introduce himself
into nearly every tune. Even those like “Water Kite” cloak him in a deceptively
thematic role before asserting his personality at stage center. It is a
testament to his maturity as a young player and deference to the talents with
which he finds himself. The result is an unspoiled gem in the Rava discography
that is more than worth the import price if you can afford it. ~ Tyran Grillo, ECM Reviews.
Japo Records, JAPO 60010 ST, 1976
ECM/Universal Music, UCCE-9071, 2006
Recorded December '73
(#A2,B2,B3) At Blue Rock Studios, New York
Recorded April '74 (#A1,A3-B1) At Audion Studio, Buenos Aires,
Argentina
Musicians:
Enrico Rava - Trumpet
Finito Bingert - Tenor
Saxophone, Flute, Percussion (#A1,A3-B1)
David Horowitz - Piano,
Synthesizer (#A2,B2,B3)
Matias Pizarro - Piano
(#A1,A3-B1)
John Abercrombie - Guitar
(#A2,B2,B3)
Ricardo Lew - Guitar
(#A1,A3-B1)
Herb Bushler - Bass
(#A2,B2,B3)
El Negro Gonzales - Bass
(#A1,A3-B1)
Jack DeJohnette - Drums
(#A2,B2,B3)
Nestor Astarita - Drums
(#A1,A3-B1)
Rodolfo Mederos - Bandoneon
(#A1,A3-B1)
Warren Smith - Marimba,
Percussion (#A2, B2, B3)
El Chino Rossi - Percussion
(#A1,A3-B1)
Ray Armando - Percussion
(#A2,B2,B3)
Jeanne Lee - Vocals
(#A2,B2,B3)
Tracks:
A1. Espejismo Ratonera
{Enrico Rava, Fernando de Santa Fe} (6:15)
A2. Short Visit To Malena
{Mario Trejo, Enrico Rava} (3:58)
A3. Sola {Enrico Rava,
Fernando de Santa Fe} (5:28)
A4. San Justo {Enrico Rava}
(8:53)
B1. Water Kite {Enrico Rava}
(6:25)
Quotation Marks / Naranjales
(7:39)
B2.1. Quotation Marks {Mario
Trejo, Enrico Rava}
B2.2. Naranjales {Arr. Enrico
Rava, Traditional}
B3. Melancolia De Las Maletas
{Enrico Rava} (9:55)
Credits:
Producer - David Horowitz,
Jack Tafoya (#A2,B2,B3), Nano Herrera (#A1,A3-B1)
Recording Engineer - Jane... (#A2,B2,B3), Nello
(#A1,A3-B1)
