Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Franco Ambrosetti Quintet: Long Waves

Franco Ambrosetti Quintet: Long Waves

By Mark Sullivan
October 7, 2019
View read count

Veteran Swiss jazz trumpeter/flugelhornist/composer

Franco Ambrosetti

trumpet
b.1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Franco Ambrosetti leads what amounts to a blowing session: mostly his originals, plus a couple of standards. But what a band it is. In bebop's heyday the group likely would have been billed as "All Stars." Guitarist

John Scofield

guitar
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">John Scofield, pianist

Uri Caine

piano
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Uri Caine, bassist

Scott Colley

bass
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Scott Colley and drummer

Jack DeJohnette

drums
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Jack DeJohnette have an illustrious playing history—as leaders and sidemen—with Amrosetti and many others. They take a remarkably measured approach, sounding like a real band rather than a collection of stars.

"Milonga" opens the album with an easy, almost laid-back swing. The leader's solo is followed by Scofield in a mellow mood, using an unusually traditional clean tone. Caine takes his solo into more bebop territory, before handing off to Colley's lyrical contribution. The return to the head is marked by more active obligato playing from Scofield than the opening. "Try Again" is a brisk bebop tune with a jaunty melody: a good opportunity for fast playing and hard swinging. "Silli's Long Wave" begins with a lovely atmospheric rubato introduction, before moving into a faster tempo and featuring an especially lyrical guitar solo.

"One For The Kids" alternates funk with a swing feel. Everyone has fun with it, especially DeJohnette, who constantly finds new ways with the groove. Then there are the standards, both associated with trumpeter

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis. "Old Folks" is the ballad of the set, marked by alternating melodic choruses from flugelhorn and guitar. "On Green Dolphin Street" is taken up-tempo and played with abandon. Caine takes it a bit outside for his solo, while Colley stays close to the changes (with light comping from Scofield). Scofield, Caine and Ambrosetti take turns trading eights with DeJohnette (in true bebop jam session style) before the final head.

It's a treat to hear musicians of this caliber simply letting loose. Nothing revolutionary here: just modern jazz played with skill and enthusiasm.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Milonga; Try Again; Silli's Long Waves; One For The Kids; Old Folks; Silli's Waltz; On Green Dolphin Street.

Personnel

Franco Ambrosetti

trumpet

Franco Ambrosetti: trumpet, flugelhorn; John Scofield: guitar; Uri Caine: piano; Scott Colley: bass; Jack DeJohnette: drums.

Album information

Title: Long Waves | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Unit Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

John Law: The Re-Creations Trilogy
< Previous

Labor Day at Coney Island
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.