Originally issued on Fonit Cetra label in 1972, then reissued on Black Saint in 1976, this is Enrico Rava's legendary first album. An eclectic yet organic mix of open lyricism and NYC funk groove that announced the arrival of Italy's most important jazz voice. Rava's first commercial work was as a member of Gato Barbieri's Italian quintet in the mid-1960s; in the late 1960s he was a member of Steve Lacy's group. In 1967, Rava moved to New York City and, one month later, became a member of the group Gas Mask, which had one album released on Tonsil Records in 1970. This apprenticeship with the avant-garde elite prepared him for what would become one of the most distinctive debuts in European jazz.
Backed by Bruce Johnson on electric guitar, Chip White on drums, and Marcello Melis on double bass (one of the true unsung heroes in Italian creative jazz), Rava shines throughout with his very distinctive sound and deep sense of melody. The album is described as belonging to "the thrilling period of cross-cultural experimentation of the early '70s, though funk is only one aspect of an exciting and occasionally frustrating album. Rava's main inspiration was Miles Davis, and his sonic fingerprints are all over Rava's playing".
The album's centerpiece, the seven-minute title track that playfully translates as "Around the Day in 80 Worlds," showcases Rava's ability to balance Italian romanticism with New York grit. On more relaxed tunes like "Back to the Sun" and "Xanadu," Rava reveals "a very different and in some ways more likable and individual side to his playing," with a tone that "loses its tension and becomes ripe, full and romantic in a very un-Davis-like way". The album closes with a version of Carla Bley's beautiful "Olhos de Gato," a nod to his New York connections where he would later work with Cecil Taylor, Charlie Haden, Roswell Rudd, and the Jazz Composer's Orchestra.
As Rava himself recalls: "My father died exactly the day the first record with my name came out. Il Giro del Giorno in 80 Mondi; it was on an Italian label". This poignant coincidence adds another layer to an album that already bridges worlds: between Europe and America, tradition and innovation, lyricism and funk. The Allmusic review awarded the album 4½ stars calling it "A recording that is 'out' and sometimes funky".
Rava would go on to work with John Abercrombie, Gil Evans, Pat Metheny, Michel Petrucciani, and Joe Lovano, becoming the grand master of Italian jazz. But it all began here, with this fearless debut that proved European jazz could stand shoulder to shoulder with its American counterpart. After more than 50 years, this marvelous debut still sounds fresh and vital as ever, a testament to Rava's singular vision that emerged fully formed from the start.
