Fabrizio Bosso Meets Basso Quintet - Cool Trane (2006)

The fifth meeting between rising Italian jazz trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso and veteran Italian tenor saxophonist Gianni Basso is a superb session, featuring works either written or recorded by John Coltrane. While some of the choices seem obvious, like "Naima" and "Blue Train," they are interpreted with passion even if no new ground is broken. But the highlights are among Coltrane's less frequently performed pieces, including a sassy "Bass Blues" that features bassist Luciano Milanese along with the co-leaders, a brisk, smoldering take of "Some Other Blues" and the driving blues "Whims of Chambers" that showcase powerful solos by pianist Andrea Pozza, Basso and Bosso. "You Don't Know What Love Is" is a passionate affair, as the trumpeter's exuberance contrasting with the tenor saxophonist's mellow, melancholy line. The tender setting of "Nancy, With the Laughing Face" (a piece dedicated to singer Nancy Sinatra when she was still a child) is equally sincere. © Ken Dryden