by Thom JurekItalian trumpet angel Enrico Rava is heard here with a band of Germans, on this intimate, lyrical, and melancholy date led by Gebhard Ullmann where jazz, rock, and European folk musics entwine to create something else, something that is not any of them but all three and more in its sheer projection of mood, drama, and spontaneity. Upon first listening to this 1989 set, it's noteworthy to hear how closely tied to Rava's soloing voice all of the music is -- despite the fact that none of it was written by him. Instead, saxophonist Gebhard Ullmann and drummer Nicholas Schäuble wrote virtually everything here. And they wrote it for that singing voice of Rava's, that dark as night, satiny tone that cries out, bleats, and whispers a heart full of emotions indescribable except in the medium of music. The band does more than accompany, however. On the suite "Different Aspects of Colorful Days," Rava's bandmates tease him into the daylight and make him reflect the sun and its cast shadows. On "Black Cat" and "Laura," they coax out the pastoral nature in Rava's playing, bringing him to the front of his lyricism with deep, wide, and fluid melodic solos on Ullman's saxophone and Andreas Willers' guitar. In all this is a date with so much melody and heart, so much subtle yet piercing joy, it is difficult to leave it sit in its jewel box for too long. Such is its elegance; if you permit it to, it will grace and bless you all the days of your life.