It is right that it should be a great jazz player like Nunzio Rotondo to have the possibility of releas- ing a second record in our prestigious series. Thanks to the first – Nunzio Rotondo: Sound and Silence – the praise, and the tangible signs of gratitude (to jazz and its protagonist rather than to us) have been so eloquent and full of enthusiasm as to make us understand that we were on the right track. To publish a record of the Roman trumpet player is in any case an event, an event in itself within the world of jazz and also for the professional life of this extraordinary musician. Indeed, because the torment of true jazz fans is that, maybe, meritoriously, in over fifty years of activity, the work of Rotondo might have deserved a greater coverage in terms of records. If one takes a more careful look, the records of his music that have been released are not that many, not because he was short of offers or proposals, quite the contrary, it was simply because Rotondo, immaculate jazz player and bashful artist that he was, preferred it that way. No doubt, with hindsight, it would have been good to have a wide range of records with his works, above all considering the needs of professionals and fans, that in his case are by no means few. But perhaps it’s better like that. Exceptionality is Nunzio Rotondo’s unique characteristic. The Legend picks up the thread where the preceding album left off. The characteristics, the sound, the feeling, the universe of sonority, we could indeed say that jazz mood, recall the pre- vious work. First and foremost the swing, the true bonding element of the record, which luckily never falls short, and above all that depth, articulated through a precious and sought after soloist texture, always capable of exploiting that wealth of accords and of structure that constitute its essence. The vibrant wealth of the language, the ability of being able to create with but a few essential traits an unmistakable expressiveness. Rotondo is all of this and this time too he does not renounce his poetic world, leaving aside the superfluous and the ornamental so as to con- centrate on the triumph of measure, through which the extreme poetic veracity of his music finds expression. The Legend, both in terms of repertoire and of themes, but also for the musicians used, does not differ greatly from the previous record. The pieces belong to a truly extraordinary period, chosen with great care in perfect agreement with and under the supervision of the selfsame artist. As to the musicians, there are old faithfuls among those who had the possibility of working alongside the trumpet player. Fans will no doubt concentrate their attention once again on Franco D’Andrea and Gato Barbieri. As concerns the pianist from Merano – whom it is right to consider one of Rotondo’s discoveries– one can but add that the swing, the rigour of the phraseology, that highly personal way of launching the leader are already in effect here. Rotondo is perhaps not such an easy musician, but every time he has felt the need to express himself he has always done so at a very high level. Leaving his mark. He has recently set up his own myspace took only a few days for it to be swamped by the compliments and felicitations of hundreds of artists, from Quincy Jones to Sting, from Herbie Hancock to Toots Thielemans. Salutations that all begin in the same way and in which we join: “Thank you, Nunzio!”.