Customer Reviews

Third Man (Ocrd)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am often criticized for skipping tracks on player to browse ( call it any disorder) and then listen to a nice 'section' of a song and then skip again. But once, i was doing my taxes on my laptop and i just popped this in the CD player, the whole album just was so dreamy and the music was sublime, i just let it play on like an 8 track! It helped me do my taxes without slitting my wrists :)

I then listened to it again without giving it the 'background music' tag with serious intent. I found the music to be lush and beautiful. This is a great session between two gifted musicians and i hope to discover more of their work and collaboration.

Definitely recommend to check out.

mediterranean and latin songs melt down in lyricism. but it's not a joyful meeting at the first stance; it's modal.

then, after listening several times, you can feel the "joy" in some sense. that's the secret behind rava's modality and a perfect duet... it's the joy of discovery, interplay and intensity. (unfortunately, not joy of swinging.)

after listening "retrato em branca y preto" composed by jobim and "birth of a butterfly" composed by rava, listening them again as last tracks, you'll notice making variations on the same theme is a joy of music in and for itself...

A few years ago Enrico Rava and Stefano Bollani released a duo CD on the Italian label Philology called Rava Plays Rava. It is one of my favorite duo recitals--just a brilliant colloboration among two superb artists, completely in tune with one another. I was hoping for great things from this new ECM CD, but was generally disappointed. It has none of the energy and spark of that earlier meeting. It is further hampered by a cavernous cathedral-like sound that does ECM no credit. A disappointing release. Try to get ahold of Rava Plays Rava if you can---perhaps Cadence still has it in stock.

This minimalist, live-in-the-studio recording is a collaboration between two Italian treasures who have played together for over a decade. This mutual familiarity explains the otherworldly intimacy of this recording. Manfred Eicher's recording process and choice of venue only enhance the haunting beauty of this music.

Thom Jurek said it best in the All Music Guide: This is a deeply conversational and historically rich sound world so poetically explored by Rava and Bollani. "The Third Man is a brilliant collaboration and a beautifully accessible as well as adventurous offering."

This duet album by the veteran trumpeter Enrico Rava and the relatively young pianist Stefano Bollani is a delightful diversion. Much of the music is credited to Rava, some to Bollani, plus there are cuts by other composers, most notably the late Antonio Carlos Jobim. Although I have found Bollani's solo efforts to be a bit dry, pairing him in this setting with Rava (Bollani also plays with Rava as part of the trumpeter's quintet) , who tends to wear his musical heart on his sleeve, yields solid dividends. The end result is a recording that most jazz lovers will find to be engrossing and enjoyable.