A hidden gem that sparkles in the light of day. Serbian keyboardist-composer Bora Rokovic has dropped into obscurity, but in his heyday he recorded with the likes of Stan Getz, Dusko Goykovic, and arranged for the popular WDR Big Band. An original stylist Rokovic overflows with ideas and has the chops to express them. Ultra Native has been a collector’s item, and for good reason. This 1971 trio date includes the great German bassist Peter Trunk. Jazz critic Joachim Ernst Berendt placed Trunk as “the best German bassist in jazz”, and Attila Zoller remarked that he was “as good as the best bassists America has to offer”. American drummer Tony Inzalaco has worked with the who’s who of both Europe and the USA. The title piece has a frenetic quality with multiple movements, dramatic use of space, inventive solos, and a hip jazz-funk section. Rokovic’s Lyrics Without Lyrics projects a propulsive extravert personality, and Soft Hands Had the Rain features Trunk strutting his stuff on Fender bass, as well as cello overdubs. Bora plays solo electric piano on his expressive ballad, Nona. Inzalaco’s J.B.W. is a hard-grooving fusion piece with dark minor chords. The spellbinding Witch Circle incants the melody before mixing freedom with structure in double-time. Lost in Love is another beautifully concise solo ballad by Bora, while Snow White Night swirls in an acoustic winter storm with Trunk again over-dubbing cello. An intense, fascinating album well worth multiple listenings.
