Enrico Rava: The Pilgrim and the Stars

"Contemporary Italian jazz can be said to have begun with Enrico Rava," critic Michael Zwerin has written. Rava is still recording for ECM more than three decades after the release of The Pilgrim and the Stars, and though his work has continued to evolve and mature, this early outing demonstrates the core virtues of his style -- a warm, inviting tone, especially rich in the lower register; great phrasing with lots of variety; a fluent technical command of the instrument; and very smart use of space and dynamics. Kudos (again) to ECM for hunting out deserving musicians such as Rava and bringing them to the attention of the global jazz audience.