Label: Unit Records, 2019

Personnel - Franco Ambrosetti: trumpet; John Scofield: guitar; Uri Caine: piano; Scott Coley: bass; Jack DeJohnette: drums.

Straight-ahead jazz can easily fall into monotony if not properly managed, but in the hands of the experienced Swiss trumpeter and flugelhorn player Franco Ambrosetti, it earns an inspired vibrancy, fully demonstrated on his 28th record as a leader, Long Waves. A dedicated bandleader, Ambrosetti has been active since the mid 60s, playing with musicians of the highest order. For this particular album, he put together a world class quintet featuring old partners: guitarist John Scofield, pianist Uri Caine, and super drummer Jack DeJohnette. Rounding out the group is a new musical acquaintance, bassist Scott Coley.

Ambrosetti crafted a seven-track body of work that comprises four of his own compositions, one by his fellow countryman pianist George Gruntz, and two esteemed jazz standards.

Imbued of seductive, warm tones and seamless modulations, “Milonga” is a tango-inspired piece that opens the album with jazzistic fluency and suavity. Apart from the drummer, who gets permanently focused on the accompaniment, each of the musicians brings their language into solos. While Ambrosetti starts timidly and ends confidently, Scofield steals the show with his expressive bluesy phrasing and octave technique. Caine is rhythmically rich and often provides harmonic obliqueness, while Colley emphasizes his big sound with melody and articulation.

The hard-bop excursion “Try Again” is reflective of Ambrosetti’s biggest influences, namely, Clifford Brown and Miles Davis, and features the same improvisers as the previously described piece, except for Colley, who gives his place to DeJohnette. The latter shines brightly before the unexpected finale and takes the lead again right at the beginning of Gruntz’s “One For The Kids”, where the grandiosity of his drumming and infallible sense of tempo become noteworthy.

Ambrosetti wrote “Silli’s Waltz” and “Silli’s Long Wave” for his wife. The latter, falsely announced as a nostalgic ballad, progresses from a rubato meditation to a medium 4/4 tempo that serves both swinging and modal incursions. The ensemble excels on the tension-release chapter.

The sentimentality of the ballad “Old Folks” and the polished Latin vibes of “On Green Dolphin Street” have distinct weights. Naturally brimming with vitality, the latter interpretation explores far more interesting paths, with Scofield constantly expressing joy in his playing as he works over an interlocking web formed by bass and drums.

If, by any reason, you’ve lost the faith in classic jazz, this modern mainstream spin-off may be a good opportunity to reconnect with it.