Alice Blue
Ravita, 2025
8/10
The bassist, composer, educator and radio host Dr. Phil Ravita brings a long some friends for modern jazz tunes that are never short on creativity.
The warm energy of “Broken Light” opens with Paul Carr’s bright tenor sax alongside Ravita’s playful bass lines, and “From The Start” follows with Deirdre Jennings’ soulful pipes amid Nucleo Vega’s frisky drumming in the bright climate.
Halfway through, “I Can’t Stand The Rain” benefits from Greg Small’s fluid piano that suits Jennings’ expressive voice, while “Hereafter” finds a cozy place to reside thanks to Carr’s soprano sax and Ravita’s skilled acoustic bass.
Getting close to the end, “Golden Sky” bops and shakes with an infectious mood via the lively rhythm section and meticulous keys and “Signal And Noise” exits with plenty of rhythm and melody in both and minimal and busy bouts of timeless jazz.
An effort that embraces jazz, blues, funk, Brazilian nods and modern harmonies, Ravita and company flesh out an unpredictable and memorable body of work.
Travels well with: Bruce Gertz Quintet- Octopus Dreams; Chris Wabich- 1978 (STEEP)