Considering how late this was recorded in Nat Adderley's career, the cornetist sounds in surprisingly fine form throughout the sessions. There are individual features for altoist Antonio Hart (who ranges from Tranish on "Rwanda" to playing in a more Cannonball Adderley-oriented style on the older tunes) and the McCoy Tyner-inspired pianist Rob Bargad, so Adderley (who is showcased on "You Don't Know What Love Is") has opportunities to rest his chops. Among the other highlights are "Sermonette," "My Romance," and "Unit Seven."
This '83 live set at the Keystone Korner was certainly an uneven, sometimes curious event. The opening number is a solo alto workout for Sonny Fortune, who seems to amble through midway before he becomes recharged by the end. The last track, "Tallahassee Kid," fades out early and Adderley provides a run-down of band personnel until the disc ends. There are some fine cuts with punchy, snappy melodies, taut solos, and nice rhythm section interaction between pianist Larry Willis, drummer Jimmy Cobb and bassist Walter Booker.
Good news! Five of Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava's Black Saint and Soul Note recordings have been reissued by CAM Jazz in one of those pretty white box sets with each LP reproduced as a separate CD tucked into a miniature record jacket. Born at Trieste in 1939, Rava later attributed his lifelong pursuit of modern jazz to the influence of Miles Davis. One might add Don Cherry and Freddie Hubbard to that equation, along with maybe Richard Williams and Lee Morgan. In order to fully comprehend what he was up to from the '70s onward, it is important to consider the artistic company that Rava kept during the ‘60s. Take a moment, for example, to ponder the blended influences of Chet Baker and Gato Barbieri.