Reviews of the week's Jazz releases

DAVE RIVELLO ENSEMBLE
Facing the Mirror Allora *****

This is the astonishing debut of Dave Rivello, a gifted composer and orchestrator who for several years has written for and conducted this really fine 12-piece group. The results show a fruitful mix of influences, particularly Brookmeyer, Gil Evans and, perhaps, Bill Holman. There's a masterly sense of proportion to his compositions, with superb voicings, a gorgeous feel for orchestral colour, dextrously handled counterpoint and the ability to build from the simplest of motifs as well as to create some lovely lines. These gifts are variously in play throughout some of the finest performances here; in the floating, lyric beauty of Sometimeand (Of) Time and Time Past,both of which have moving trumpet solos by Mike Kaupa, and the through- composed Chorale. And drama is persuasively reconciled with musical development in One by One by Oneand the tartly seasoned Beyond The Fall. One to savour. www.daverivello.com

TED SIROTA
Seize the Time Naim Jazz ***

Chicagoan Sirota is among the most politically committed musicians, as befits a drummer who counts Max Roach among his influences. Roach is one of the political protesters saluted by Sirota's Rebel Souls quintet, a group with admirably well-conceived writing, good soloists in Geof Bradfield (tenor/bass clarinet), Greg Ward (alto), Dave Miller (guitar) and a stirring rhythm section in Sirota and Jake Vinsel (bass). What it lacks, perhaps, is evident in its take on Mingus's Free Cell Block F, 'Tis Nazi USA.The arrangement is good and well performed, but it's a stranger to the volcanic anger that Mingus had. On an album that honours other fighters for justice as Mandela, Miriam Makeba and Caetano Veloso, and finds, too, a social conscience in Stephen Foster's work, that intention creates expectations that this otherwise excellent band doesn't fulfil. www.tedsirota.com