Franco Ambrosetti Band: Lost Within You

  I was quite taken with Long Waves, a 2019 release by trumpet veteran Franco Ambrosetti, so I was glad to receive his new disc in the mail. I’m even happier to report that the rapturous Lost Within You by the Franco Ambrosetti Band is just as deeply satisfying as its predecessor. Recorded almost exactly a year later, the new release gathers the same world-class musicians that appeared on Long Waves: pianist Uri Caine, guitarist John Scofield, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Jack DeJohnette, with Renee Rosnes, new to Ambrosetti’s orbit, substituting for Caine on 5 tracks. Ambrosetti, who first recorded as a leader back in 1965 for the Durium label, continues to exude enthusiasm and display his endless improvisational imagination. Mostly heard on flugelhorn here, his clear, burnished sound is a delight throughout the lengthy set. Horace Silver’s Peace, given a relaxed rendition with DeJohnette on piano, is the first number in this well-chosen ballad-oriented program, including a pair of new tunes by Ambrosetti. His tender Silli in the Sky, with an echo of My Funny Valentine, is dedicated to his wife (and executive producer), while the charming Dreams of a Butterfly takes its inspiration from a story by Jorge Luis Borges. The band’s delicately paced eleven minute foray into the classic Body and Soul is stunningly beautiful, featuring a richly emotional solo by Ambrosetti and a fine solo by Caine, with exemplary playing by the Colley-DeJohnette team. Flamenco Sketches, the Miles Davis and Bill Evans collaboration from Kind Of Blue, is another highlight, with a lovely Rosnes solo. McCoy Tyner’s You Taught My Heart to Sing, a love song without words, concludes the disc, featuring a masterful solo by Scofield. There’s plenty of good feeling and palpable warmth in this music, resulting in a session worth revisiting again and again. Happily recommended. 

Unit UTR 4907; Franco Ambrosetti (tpt, flgh) Uri Caine* or Renee Rosnes# (p) John Scofield (g) Scott Colley (b) Jack DeJohnette (d; p on Peace); NYC, January 20-24, 2020; Peace/ I’m Gonna Laugh You Right Outta My Life#/ Silli in the Sky#/ Love Like Ours#/ Dreams of a Butterfly*/ Body and Soul*/ People Time*/ Flamenco Sketches#/ You Taught My Heart to Sing#; 72:47. www.unitrecords.com