Enrico Rava, Fearless Five, Joe Lovano - Corners (2026)

For Corners, Italian trumpeter and long-time label-companion Enrico Rava has once again surrounded himself with a new generation of Italian players eager to defy the paradigm. As a collective they call themselves the Fearless Five – an all-Italian-quintet joined here by guest saxophonist Joe Lovano for an album of originals exclusively, fashioned with a sense of adventure and panache as the Italo-American connection draws from a common pool of imagination. Corners, the group’s first record for the label, is abound with evocative melodies, representative of Rava’s signature lyrical style but also new facets, brought to the table by his younger conspirators as well as Lovano’s unique sensibilities to adapt to any player, idiom and room. Rava, explaining how the programme came together, notes: „As they all have their own bands, where they are leaders and composers, I thought I makes sense to let each one of us contribute tunes to that new album – this makes Corners pretty different from my other albums.” Recorded at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome on July 21-23, 2025, the album was produced by Manfred Eicher.

Fearless Five:
Enrico Rava - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Matteo Paggi - Trombone
Francesco Diodati - Guitar
Francesco Ponticelli - Double Bass
Evita Polidoro - Drums, Vocals
Joe Lovano - Tenor Saxophone