Five For Jazz - Soulscape (1996)

The unfamiliar material on this CD, which is comprised of three songs from pianist Luigi Bonafede and one apiece from each of the other musicians, is mostly hard-swinging advanced bop. The Italian quintet is comprised of some very impressive straight-ahead players. Emanuele Cisi is a frequently hard-driving tenor saxophonist whose style mixes John Coltrane and Michael Brecker, while his soprano playing is fairly original. Trumpeter Flavio Boltro looks more toward Kenny Wheeler and Miles Davis/Wallace Roney (with some Freddie Hubbard blasts), and the rhythm section is quite tight; pianist Bonafede is a particularly impressive soloist. There are a few departures, such as the trumpet/tenor duet on "First Smile," but most of the playing fits securely into the modern hard bop idiom. The jazz waltz "Aiova" and the driving "Chia Blues" are among the highlights of this release which, despite the obscure names, is well worth taking a chance on. © Scott Yanow