Franco Ambrosetti Quintet, Long Waves (Unit)

New Orleans music fans are well aware of guitarist John Scofield, the great jazz and funk conceptualist best known around these parts for the incendiary Piety Street sessions. But Scofield’s range is well beyond any single genre, and his contribution to this straight-ahead session shows how exciting his playing can be in a more traditional format. Scofield is a key part of an outstanding quintet organized by trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti, whose warm, expressive playing sets the tone for the album. Ambrosetti is joined here by his longtime associate Scott Colby on bass along with the great drummer Jack DeJohnette and pianist Uri Caine. One of Ambrosetti’s main influences is pre-fusion Miles Davis and he includes a couple of classics associated with this period of Davis’ career, “On Green Dolphin Street” and “Old Folks.” “Old Folks” is one of the album’s highlights. Caine’s beautiful accompaniment to Ambrosetti’s trumpet underscores the outstanding communication these players have for each other. Scofield and DeJohnette share a special rapport throughout that bears close listening.