ENRICO RAVA — The Plot (review)

ENRICO RAVA — The Plot album cover Album · 1977 · Post Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Steve Wyzard
LOST MASTERPIECE OF 1977

If you are reading this review and do not own this album, stop immediately, drop everything, mortgage the house, and buy it! The Plot is hard to find and now a true rarity, but it really is that good. Trumpeter Enrico Rava's other recordings, many of which are well worth hearing, simply pale in comparison. The Plot's four performers have appeared on hundreds of albums, but very few can match the virtuosity and over-the-top intensity of this one. Jon Christensen, known to most as the cool ECM house drummer, plays with a DeJohnette/Williams fire that is unbelievable. Bassist Palle Danielsson, coming off classic performances on Witchi-Tai-To and Belonging, almost impossibly reminds one of Dave Holland. Guitarist John Abercrombie plays with an outrageous brilliance that ranks among his career best. This one demands a track-by-track breakdown:

"Tribe": The opener establishes a pattern: Christensen/Danielsson/Abercrombie lay down a heavy groove before Rava enters last. With an unforgettable riff, this one should be a standard. "On the Red Side of the Street": At first, you might think this is one of the obligatory free improv numbers that appear on almost every ECM album before 1982. Then Rava plays one of the saddest, most mournful lines you will ever hear. Abercrombie and Danielsson create a magical mood and keep this from becoming a dirge. "Amici": It sounds like a missing track from the Abercrombie/Holland/DeJohnette Gateway albums, with Danielsson's playing particularly mind-blowing. Rava's trumpet cries/wails/shrieks and howls over a very busy background. "Dr.Ra and Mr.Va": Abercrombie and Rava push each other to new levels of intensity. Also features a bluesy intro and a fabulous descending note melody. Another one that should be a standard. "Foto di Famiglia": A quiet duet interlude before the epic. Abercrombie's acoustic guitar backs Rava's beautiful solo. "The Plot": A 15-minute slow intro/long jam/slow coda classic. Once the rhythm section gets going, everyone just TAKES OFF! Rava plays from sweet to sour, from fire to ice, while Abercrombie's fluid, "out there" solo reminds one of his Timeless album.

The only question that remains to be answered is: "Why is this masterpiece so hard to find?" Maybe everyone who owns it would be hard-pressed to part with their copy. If ECM can give the wild avant-garde early Jan Garbarek albums an American release, why not The Plot, which is much more accessible? All I can say is, if you love the trumpet, love amplified jazz guitar, or love the ECM sound in general, you will not be disappointed with this lost classic. And shame on ECM for not making it easier to find. Beatrize Vidal's ethereal cover design is the cherry on top!
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