Phil Ravita’s Latest Album, Alice Blue, Shines with Seven Originals
[Photo portrays the Ravita Group: Left to right: Greg Small, Phil Ravita, Deirdre Jennings, Mark Leppo, Luc Vega. In front: Paul Carr]
While jogging under a beaming afternoon sun for his daily cardio, bassist/composer Phil Ravita approached an abandoned building disfigured with shattered windows. Now usually the Baltimore native would keep it movin’, but something about this site – similar to one he’s sure to have crossed a million times over – caught his eye. He stopped. Then, inching closer, he began marveling at the light that shone through the shards of glass, which had formed a prism. It was at this moment, Ravita says, he finally understood the lines “Images of broken light/Which dance before me like a million eyes” in The Beatles’ classic, “Across the Universe.”
The epiphany ultimately led Ravita to compose “Broken Light,” part of his latest project, Alice Blue. Released on his label (Ravita Music) back in early-April under the collective Ravita Jazz – a group of colleagues he’s known since grad school dating back to 2008 – the album features seven originals (five of them Ravita’s) and three covers.
“Broken Light” leads-off with a drum solo, one reminiscent of Dave Weckl, played by Nuc Vega for the opening eight bars, then bursts into what could be the theme to a popular game show (Jazz Jeopardy, perhaps?). Ravita’s idiosyncratic use of 16ths (sounds like diggi-da) adds a nice “brightness” to his funky electric bass. Paul Carr on tenor sax and Greg Small on piano flesh out the lead in-unison before veering off into their respective solos; the former’s Sanborn-esqe. This tune – and its surprising ending – charted no. 1 on the Weekly Top 50 Mainstream Jazz Song Chart back in late-May.
Next is “From the Start,” a bossa nova written in 2023 by Laufey & Spencer Stewart. Singer Deirdre Jennings’ delivery on this one recalls Astrud Gilberto (“That’s what we were aiming for,” admits Ravita, proudly). Effervescent and sultry, Jennings is in cruise-control with her melodic-yet-melancholic yearning for her desired one to finally acknowledge her.
Perhaps the take that deserves the most scrutiny is the title-track, “Alice Blue.” It starts with a pensive minor etude on piano. Then, following a segue of congas from percussionist Mark Leppo, Carr (now on soprano) rings-in the A-section with a rather entrancing lead – one that conjures images of belly dancers entertaining [in] a dim-lit VIP suite. (You can see them jiving through the billows of smoke from a nearby hookah.) A piano solo reminiscent of Bruce Hornsby’s work on “The Way it Is” accents the realization that this tune is hard to categorize. “ ‘Alice’ is cool,” says its composer Ravita, “because you can’t say, ‘Ah-hah, it’s this!’” “Alice,” he says, does not refer to a certain woman. In fact, it’s a shade of blue, the one you find on the album’s cover.
Speaking of blue: “A blues gone bad” is how Ravita sums up “Almost Blue.” With this piece he claims he was trying to be “creative” using the standard 1-4-5 progression. Overall, “Almost” is a nice pick-me-up from “Alice.” Following Smal’s solo , Ravita concludes the solo section with a very flavorful one of his own – I’d say his tastiest on the album.
The rendition of the 70’s classic “I Can’t Stand the Rain” – first recorded by Ann Peebles in 1973 – is, as Ravita puts it, “simply-stated.” This cut starts gently, then turns-up to a Janis-like jam driven by Jennings’ gritty vocals.
From there, you’ll find Ravita & Crew meshing an unlikely pair in “Fool in the Rain/On The Sunny Side of the Street.” He swears there is a commonality between the two songs. “‘Sunny…’ was written in 1930; ‘Fool…’ nearly 40 years later,” he explains. “They both talk about the things that were pissin’ people off at the time.”
Ravita and Carr (tenor) share the well-known riff, with Small’s in-the-pocket comping. Jennings teases the chorus of the rocker before adroitly relaying the first verse of the standard. Per Ravita, this track oozes the true essence of this music: fusion. “Jazz is always all-encompassing of every style,” he notes.
Listening to “Hereafter” makes you feel you’re on-the-prowl. Composed by Small, this track features a lively interplay between soprano and piano. The composer’s comping – at times a steady, almost militant barrage of 16ths – is very complementary to Carr’s crooning. The track’s minor/major 7th ending will leave you wondering – did I catch it?
A detour in mood, “Blackout” is a Ravita piece that was once described to him as a “film noir.” This feature begins with somber piano, then sullen sweeps of snare over brooding bass enter as supporting cast about 20 seconds in. Tenor leads from here on out, each note a commentary on the struggle of maintaining a meaningful existence.
We touch grass with “Golden Sky.” This “neo-bebop” (as dubbed by Ravita) is an uptempo number and a few more horns away from the Roarin’ ‘20’s. Lastly, “Signal and Noise” (by Small ) serves as listener appreciation.
“I couldn’t do this by myself,” Ravita concludes about the effort, referring to both his bandmates and followers. You can catch Ravita and his group playing the full album at An die Musik on August 23rd. 2-25. The group played an album release concert at Blues Alley on June 16th, 2025. The album is available on all major streaming services. Check Ravita’s website, baltimorebass.com for more information and performance dates.
–By Therran Dennis
Therran Dennis is a journalist by trade and a jazz guy at heart, a vocalist and guitarist. When he’s not workshopping the next standard or scribbling verses about The Struggle, he’s keeping tabs on what’s happening in the most vibrant jazz scene in the Mid-Atlantic.