{"title":"ECM Records","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout ECM Records\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eECM Records (Edition of Contemporary Music) is a German record label founded in 1969. It is known for its distinctive focus on jazz, classical, and world music recordings. The company has gained recognition for its high-quality sound recordings and innovative approach to music publishing. The ECM Records catalog features numerous critically acclaimed albums that have become an important part of music history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eECM Records Products\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur assortment includes a wide selection of ECM Records vinyl records. The collection features works by artists such as Jan Garbarek, Mathias Eick, Chick Corea, Tord Gustavsen Trio, Avishai Cohen, Anouar Brahem, Marcin Wasilewski Trio, Keith Jarrett, and Nik Bärtsch's Ronin. Each \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.autogarsas.lt\/collections\/vinilines-ploksteles\" title=\"Vinilinės plokštelės\"\u003evinyl record\u003c\/a\u003e is carefully produced to ensure the highest sound quality and long-lasting enjoyment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy Choose ECM Records\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eECM Records is synonymous with quality and artistic value. By choosing products from this label, you are investing in recordings that feature exceptional sound clarity and detailed performance. It's an excellent choice for both experienced audiophiles and new listeners looking to add high-quality and inspiring music to their collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhich artists are popular in the ECM Records catalog?\u003c\/b\u003e\nPopular artists include Jan Garbarek, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Anouar Brahem, and many other jazz and classical music creators.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat is the sound quality of ECM Records vinyl records?\u003c\/b\u003e\nECM Records is known for its high sound quality standards, offering detailed and clear recordings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDoes ECM Records only release jazz music?\u003c\/b\u003e\nAlthough ECM Records is strongly associated with jazz, its catalog also includes classical and world music recordings.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"ecm-records-the-koln-concert-keith-jarrett-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, The Köln Concert - Keith Jarrett, Vinyl record","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a consensus among critics, listeners and musicians alike that this, Keith Jarrett's second solo piano concert recording (after Solo-Concerts Bremen\/Lausanne), is a milestone not only of Keith Jarrett's work, but of the entire history of jazz. Already in the year of its release, The Köln Concert was met with great enthusiasm: \"The fingers are often startling, the melodies infectious, the piano arranging richly diverse, the self-propulsive rhythmic stomp sections glorious in their vibrancy\", wrote Down Beat in a five star review upon the concert's release. Time Magazine included the album in its year's best list claiming, \"Long, intricate piano solos give a new dimension to the old art of improvisation\", while the Rolling Stone raved: \"Köln is a complete solo piano concert. The classical, baroque, gospel, boogie and impressionistic strains […] have been synthesized here into a seamless whole of undeniable brilliance\", concluding, \"Almost anyone should be immediately attracted to it, and that's the really amazing thing about Jarrett.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eRecorded\u003cbr\u003e January 1975, Opera, Cologne\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e Original Release Date\u003cbr\u003e 30.11.1975\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e Release date: 19.02.2010\u003cbr\u003e ECM 1064\/65\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003col\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e Köln, January 24, 1975, Part I\u003cbr\u003e (Keith Jarrett)\u003cbr\u003e 26:02\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e Köln, January 24, 1975, Part II a\u003cbr\u003e (Keith Jarrett)\u003cbr\u003e 14:54\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e Köln, January 24, 1975, Part II b\u003cbr\u003e (Keith Jarrett)\u003cbr\u003e 18:13\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e Köln, January 24, 1975, Part II c\u003cbr\u003e (Keith Jarrett)\u003cbr\u003e 06:59\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/ol\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50524727050581,"sku":"The Köln Concert - Keith Jarrett","price":38.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-The-Koln-Concert-Keith-Jarrett-Viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545655"},{"product_id":"ecm-records-blue-maqams-anouar-brahem-dave-holland-jack-dejohnette-django-bates-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, Blue Maqams, Anouar Brahem, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Django Bates, vinyl record","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"l-content en active\"\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003eReleased on the occasion of Anouar Brahem's 60th birthday,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBlue Maqams\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eoffers many reasons to celebrate. Recorded in New York's Avatar Studios in May 2017 and produced by Manfred Eicher, it brings the Tunisian oud master together with three brilliant improvisers: the “Maqams” of the title refers to the Arabic modal music system, rendered kind of blue by the jazz players. For Anouar Brahem and Dave Holland the album marks a reunion: they first collaborated 20 years ago on the very widely-acclaimed\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThimar\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ealbum Brahem meets Jack DeJohnette for the first time here, but Holland and DeJohnette have been frequent musical partners over the last half-century beginning with ground-breaking work with Miles Davis – their collaborations are legendary. British pianist Django Bates also rises superbly to the challenge of Brahem's compositions. And Anouar in turn is inspired to some of his most outgoing playing.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBlue Maqams\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a highlight of ECM's autumn season. Live appearances by the quartet will follow in 2018.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e \n\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\n\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Artists\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Anouar Brahem\u003cbr\u003e Oud\u003cbr\u003e Dave Holland\u003cbr\u003e Double Bass\u003cbr\u003e Jack DeJohnette\u003cbr\u003e Drums\u003cbr\u003e Django Bates\u003cbr\u003e Piano\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRecorded\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e May 2017, Avatar Studios, New York\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Release Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 13.10.2017\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e 1 Opening Day\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 07:01\u003cbr\u003e 2 The night\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 10:28\u003cbr\u003e 3 Blue Maqams\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 08:41\u003cbr\u003e 4 Bahia\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 08:45\u003cbr\u003e 5 The passerby\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 04:05\u003cbr\u003e 6 Good Morning Rio\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 09:23\u003cbr\u003e 7 Persepolis's mirage\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 08:06\u003cbr\u003e 8 The Recovered Road to Al-Sham\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 09:26\u003cbr\u003e 9 Unexpected Outcome\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 10:59\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e MEDIA REACTIONS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eFor his intriguing new quartet album, 'Blue Maqams', master oudist Anouar Brahem enlisted two fellow legends and a veteran player whose profile is on the rise. […] Not only did Brahem find the perfect collaborator in Bates, he assembled a program of all original compositions that showcases the pianist's gorgeous touch, with some passages featuring solo piano, as well as duo sections that highlight subtle, intelligent conversations between oud and piano. […] The result is a program that features traditional music from Arab culture as well as more modern jazz elements. Each musician shines here.\u003cbr\u003e Bobby Reed, Downbeat, Editor's Pick\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Blue Maqams' has no need to pound or poke, finding tranquility in the pragmatic acoustic formula and unblemished technique evinced by the quartet. In these disturbing times, nothing better than listening to music that is congenial, peaceful, and deeply felt. Anouar Brahem delivers all that and more.\u003cbr\u003e Filipe Freitas, Jazz Trail\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eZu seinem 60. Geburtstag hätte Anouar Brahem sich und uns kein schöneres Geschenk machen können als diese Session in New York vom Mai 2017. […] Wie Sterne am Himmel über der Media von Tunis leuchten die Klänge, die Brahem mit seinen drei Mitspielern gerätt. Das vielbeschworene Thema Orient \u0026amp; Okzident bekommt eine neue Bedeutung durch die Art, wie sich hier ein Dialog zwischen Oud und Klavier entspinnt. […] Seit Anouar Brahems Erfolgsalbum ‚Le Pas du Chat Noir' (2002) should be ‚Blue Maqams' die Platte werden, die am meisten auch die Hörer ansprechen wird, die weder in der klassischen arabischen Musik noch im zeitgenössischen Jazz bewandert sind. Hier ist es zu hören - 'the best of both worlds'.\u003cbr\u003e Karl Lippegaus, Stereo\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Blue Maqams' will not only go down as one of the year's best ECM Records releases; it's a classic-in-the-making that should ultimately be considered one of the label's very best recordings in its nearly fifty-year history.\u003cbr\u003e John Kelman, All About Jazz\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis glitzy lineup features his bass-playing soulmate Dave Holland, drums star Jack DeJohnette, and a wild card in the form of the UK's Django Bates on piano. The result achieves a spellbinding balance between gently melodic Mediterranean song forms and the one-touch rhythmic elasticity and melodic ingenuity of the best jazz. The presence of Bates (producer Manfred Eicher's idea, Brahem never having heard the English maverick before) is an inspiration, for his lyrical restraint, creative spaciousness, and diverse references. […] It's a real meeting of hearts and minds.\u003cbr\u003e John Fordham, The Guardian\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEin leiser Schlagzeug-Rhythmus - und darberer die Instrumenten-Stimme von Anouar Brahem. Ein Blues sozusagen. Aus Tunisian. So beginnt das Titelstück dieser CD - und es ist repräsentativ. Anouar Brahem, einer der weltweit bermeitesten Spieler der arabischen Lute Oud, hat sich hier mit neuen Partnern zusammengetan. I'm Schlagzeuger Jack DeJohnette, Bassist Dave Holland und Pianist Django Bates. Drei Weltstars des modernen Jazz. Brahem selbst betrachtet sich nicht als Jazz-Musiker, er vermeidet gängige Kategorien. Als Komponist und Improvisator hat er zwischen arabischen und westlichen Musiktraditionen einen eigenen Ton gefunden - und da ist es besonders spannend zu hören, wie er sich bewegt in diesem neuen Quartett. Er tut es auf scheining selbstverständische Art. Und doch nicht so, als wolle er den Hörern einreden, die Oud sei in den Kellergewölben eines Jazzclubs großgeworden und habe bei Festivals wie Newport oder Montreux die Reifeprüfung abgelegt. Er findet auch hier wieder einen ganz eigenen Klang. \u003cbr\u003eRoland Spiegel, Bayrischer Rundfunk\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The album title signifies the union between the incredibly complex Arabic modal and harmonic system and the 'blue' so often evoked in jazz improvisation. Throughout, Brahem seamlessly combines the uncommon time signatures, sonic timbres, and whole-tone textures of Arabic music with the dynamic adventure of jazz improv. […] 'Blue Maqams' is lovely. It's a nearly perfect illustration of balance between cultural and musical inquiry, underlined by the confidence and near symbiotic communication of this gifted ensemble. This is an exceptional outing, even for an artist as accomplished and creative as Brahem.\u003cbr\u003e Thom Jurek, All Music\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBrahem vermählt den Maqam, Tonleitern aus der klassischen arabischen Kunstmusik, mit dem ‚Blue' des jazz. Auf seinem Album lassen sich die Musiker verstächt aufeinander ein: Die Jazzmusiker nehmen in den Stücken ‚Opening Day' und ‚La Nuit' den behutsamen Tonfall der Oud auf, untermalen die Töne sublime, mit viel Atem und Ruhe. […] Im Titelstück ‚Blue Maqams' wiederum nähert sich Brahem dem Jazz an. Es herrscht eine ganz andere Atmosphera: Zum arabischen Geist tritt dezent eine Jazzharmonik dazu. So bringt dieses Album einen Dialog sozusagen auf dem west-arabischen Diwan: Es läßt sich als vielmehr hören als nur ein Stück Worldmusic – ein Etikett, das Brahem ohnehin verabscheut.\u003cbr\u003e Christoph Merki, Tagesanzeiger\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe whole session has a tremulous, simmering intensity. The title refers to Arabic modes, the richness of which is grist to the mill of an imaginative composer-improviser such as Brahem, and he draws on them extensively, presenting compositions in which curled, careening melody enhances the strong ensemble voice. However, in the moments when the group breaks down to leave him unaccompanied he excels by way of phrasing that is majestically doleful, conveying moods that are then heightened by gently brushed, mandolin-like yearnings of Bates' right hand. For both the poise and restraint of the band as well as the beauty of the tonal palette and material this is a strong entry in Brahem's discography.\u003cbr\u003e Kevin Le Gendre, Jazzwise\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ‚Maqam', das ist der Modus in klassischer arabischer und türkischer Musik. Und diese ‚Blue Maqams', die sind Brahms meisterhafter Weg, die ‚Blue Notes' des Jazz in den Nahen Osten zu tragen.\u003cbr\u003e Ralf Dorschel, Norddeutscher Rundfunk\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHis most recent release, 'Blue Maqams', showcases his skills in a jazz context – the results are simply stunning. […] We're dealing with musicians who know how to extract every nuance and ounce of meaning from a note. […] As one would expect from a collection of such experienced and gifted musicians, the quality of performance is not only exemplary, it's awe-inspiring […] 'Blue Maqams' is a gem of an album featuring four incredibly gifted musicians. […] Anouar Brahem has composed nine amazing works and they are brought to life on this album with amazing skill and grace\u003cbr\u003e Richard Marcus, Quantara.com\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhen I first heard Maqams, oddly enough 'In a Silent Way' came to mind, not so much for content, which couldn't be more different, but in the way both albums wash over the listener, enveloping them in a specific environment, not unlike immersing oneself in a great ocean of spacious sounds, one that, like the sound of the surf, can be put on repeat without tiring of it. Each piece seems to flow inevitably and effortlessly into the next. And there is a connection between these two fine albums: they both have Dave Holland on bass. Holland is like a rock in both settings, laying down the groove and stating the time when necessary, floating when appropriate. DeJohnette, a powerhouse drummer, opts to sit in the background for the most part here, sometimes sitting out altogether, and only showing his formidable creativity and chops in a couple key places. Pianist Django Bates shows particular discipline in the way he interacts with Brahem's passionate, sensual, yet understated oud. There is not a note that doesn't belong - the interaction is a precise give and take, sometimes almost call and response, but the two never get in the way of one another. […] I can't recommend this album highly enough. And I honestly can't remember the last time I found something so inherently listenable that I just put it on repeat while hanging out at home. Yet putting one's entire concentration on the music yields vast rewards. It is that good after all! \u003cbr\u003eBrian Whistler, Manaphonist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e From the very first moments – 'Opening Days' begins with a characteristically delicate, thoughtful solo introduction from the leader's oud – the music is unmistakably Brahem's; but within seconds you know this is also going to be something rather different. Joining the oud, first we have Dave Holland's rich, thumping bass; then the crisp, light, swinging accompaniment of Jack DeJohnette on drums; and finally, a couple of minutes into the track, Django Bates' piano makes its magical entrance, fittingly lyrical yet significantly 'jazzier'.\u003cbr\u003e Geoff Andrew, Notes \u0026amp; Observations\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Die Melodien der arabischen Musiktraditionen bilden die Basis. Sie wandeln sich im Interplay zu einer wunderbaren Musik, die den Spirit der Welt beruhigt.\u003cbr\u003e Pirmin Bossart, Kulturtipp\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe Tunisian Oud-Virtuose and Composer Anouar Brahem has since the beginning of the 1990s published a dozen excellent albums on his House-Label ECM in various compositions. Folglich sind in seinem Fall die Erwartungshaltungen der Fans vor Neuveröffentlichungen besonders hoch, aber selten durghten sie so voll erfüllt oder gar noch übertroffen worden sein wie nun mit ‚Blue Maqams'. […] In den neun Brahm-Kompositionen, die sich von eigenen Ausnahmen abgesehen zwischen eight und elf Minuten Länge bewegen, Holland and DeJohnette stellen ihre über Jahrzehnte gewächsene souveräne Technik und ihr unbelievably Einfühlungsvermögen gepaart mit einem unerschöpflichen musikalischen Einfallsreichtum in den Dienst der Sache. Holland lässt seinen Bass singen, dass es eine Freude ist, und DeJohnette eriztelt mit sparsamsten Mitteln größte Wirkung. Brahem und Bates brillieren mit wunderschönen Soli, umgarnen sich in subtilen Dialogen und inspirieren sich wechselseitig zu brillianten Höchstleistungen. Arabische Musik und zeitgenössischer Jazz begegnen sich hier absolut auf Augenhöhe, die Atkere schöpfen aus dem Besten zweier musikalischer Welten, ohne die eine oder die andere zu desavouieren. \u003cbr\u003ePeter Füssl, Culture\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ein Nordafrikaner, ein Amerikaner, ein Brite und ein britischer Ami steuern ein gemesinames Vehikel, indem sie sich frei von allen Floskeln und Plattitüden zwischen Improvisation und Meditation einfach der dramatischen Magie des Klangs hingeben.\u003cbr\u003e Wolf Kampmann, Stereoplay\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDer Musik des Oud-Virtuosen Anouar Brahem (Oud ist die Arabische Kurzhalslaute) ist schwer einzuordnen und leicht zu verstehen. Man kann sich in ihr ohne Vorausssetzung einrichten wie in einem wohltemperierten Ambiente, wie in einer musique d'ameublement, auch das Misverständnis ‚world music' mag für den einen oder andern naheliegen, auch wenn sich der 1957 in Tunis geborene Brahem gegen die Etikette vehrt (und zurecht) vehrt. With 10 years, he started studying Arab music, bald with the legendary teacher Ali Sriti. Dann folgte eine suczessive Horizonterweiterung, auch in Richtung des Jazz, obwohl er sich \"neither als Jazzmusiker nor als Jazzkomponisten\" versteht. In 1991 he played his first recordings for the label ECM von Manfred Eicher, which in the following became his musikalische Heimat wurde und die Entwicklung seiner grenzüberschreitenden Musik mit bestimmte: Produktionen mit Musikern wie Jan Garbarek ('Madar', 1994), Richard Galliano und François Couturier ('Khomsa', 1995), John Surman und Dave Holland ('Thimar', 1998), auch mit verschiedenen klassische Orchestern (zuletzt ‚Souvenance', 2014) - Brahem hatte den Kopf im kreativen Wind, woher immer der wehte, und verriet doch nie seine Ursprünge, schon gar nicht durch eine Auflösung der Konturen im Sinne einer parfümerten exotischen Allerweltsmusik. Seine meditative Räume laden die Partner zu intensiveen, weit gespannten Atembögen, aber nie zu beliebigen Ego-Trips ein – dafür besteht er zu rigoros auf der steten Anbindung an die komponierten Vorgaben. So auch auf seinem jüngsten Opus ‚Blue Maqams', an dem sein grosser alter Partner Dave Holland am Kontrabass ist ist ist ist, der fablehaft discrete, feininnige, différentierte Jack DeJohnette an einem schwebenden Schlagzeug und der britische Pianist Django Bates, bei aller technical Brillanz mit Erfolg darauf bedacht, die Räume der geradezu scrupulous sparsamen Nicht pleonastic zuzuschütten. Thus, a highly poetic, nie gefühlige, immer herzerwärmende eigene Musik zwischen den Kategorien und zwischen den Welten is created. A very special Kind of Blue. \u003cbr\u003ePeter Rüedi, Die Weltwoche\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIl revient aujourd'hui à ses premières amours transversales en signant un disque magnifique entième animé par sa passion du jazz. Retrouvant pour l'occasion Dave Holland à la contrebasse, magistral de fluidité et de profondeur, Brahem prend le risque de réintroduire la batterie dans l'équilibre si fragile de son évanescent univers, confiant à Jack DeJohnette le soin d'adapter tambours et cymbales aux dynamiques subtiles de sa musique. The result is a model of musicality and minimalist sound. Convié également à la fête, le pianiste anglais Django Bates, dont he aurait pu douter a priori que sa personnalité volontiers décalée et extravagante convienne à ce genre de projet intimiste, est la grande et bonne surprise du disque. Transfiguring par la magie de son toucher les parts très écrite des compositions modales envoûtantes de Brahem, le pianiste fait par ailleurs preuve d'une inventiveness et d'une inspiration constante, apportant à l'ensemble la richesse de ses harmonies et la vivacité de son phrasé. (...) De son côté n'a jamais semblé aussi maître de son discours, trouvant constantly la bonne balance entre sensualité et abstraction. Une réussite totale. \u003cbr\u003eStéphane Ollivier, Jazz Magazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e So how does Brahem's Arabic modal music background mesh with these jazz masters? Will one drown out the other or will they meet in the middle? Often Brahem begins tracks with solo oud and the players gradually come in (or, on 'La Passente', the track never ignites, but smoulders gently throughout). So no clash there. But the title track begins with drums and here Brahem's oud functions like a guitar, beautifully intertwining with Bates's piano until everything else drops away, then re-emerging to resolve the piece at the end. It is one of the serveral places where the two forms show utmost respect and bring the best out of each other. […] this album works on several levels. Its jazz, exotic mood is unobtrusive and enjoyable as background, but start to go deeper and there is so much to explore in this musical meeting of worlds.\u003cbr\u003e Derek Walker, Church of England Newspaper\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe delicacy is the most powerful pillar of the music of Anouar Brahem [….] The subtle timbre of his áúd árabe requires that the other instruments that accompany him are equally discrete. […] Pero la suavidad va más allá de su peculiar estilo, que mezcla tradición arábiga con jazz, y es también la esencia con la que entiende la música. Casi todo lo que se oye en el album, dice, fue concepcio \"en la magica de un momento de inspiración\", sin mucha planning, pero sí con la sensibilità despierta. Brahem does not construct his discs as integral works, sino que each piece is a particular universe that arises from small ideas. \u003cbr\u003e(Delicacy is the strongest pillar of Anouar Brahem's music […]. The subtle timbre of his Arab lute requires that the other instruments that accompany him are equally discrete. […] But the softness goes beyond his characteristic style, which mixes Arabian traditions and jazz, and is also the essence with which he understands music. Almost everything that is heard in this album, he says, was conceived \"in the magic of a moment of inspiration\", without much planning, but with aroused sensibility. […] each piece is a particular universe that emerges from small ideas.\u003cbr\u003e Alejandro Mendoza Arriaga, El País\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With a title that sums up its mix of complex but melodic Arabic modes and the so-called blue notes of jazz improvisation, this album by Tunisian oud master Anouar Brahem is part world fusion, part work of art. [….] These 10 improvisations see the maestro challenged by changes in tempo and exercises in swing, bossa nova and solo invention. But always, the oud is granted freedom to fly. Sublime. \u003cbr\u003eJane Cornwell, Evening Standard\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Die Geschichte der Annäherung zweiter musikalischer Sphären in einem Balanceakt der Schönheit.\u003cbr\u003e Stefan Hentz, Die Zeit\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Brahems Begleiter sind diesmal der britische Bassist Dave Holland (71), mit dem er schon vor vor Jahren gespielt hat, und der legendäre Drummer Jack DeJohnette (75), der 1969 auf Miles Davis' epochalem Album ‚Bitches Brew' mitwirkte. Hinzu stieß, eine Idee Eichers, Pianist Django Bates (57). Der Brite spielt erstmals mit Brahem – ein temperamentvoller, kantiger Kontrast zu dessen langjährigem Partner am Klavier, Francois Couturier. Das wirkt sich aus – neben verträumten, meditativen Passagen wie im Titelstück und in ‚La Nuit' finden sich expressive, energiegeladene Improvisationen […] Ein Prachtalbum das sich jeglicher Kategorisierung entzieht.\u003cbr\u003e Jens-Uwe Sommerschuh, Sächsische Zeitung\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhat is clear from this recording as a whole is that Anouar Brahem has a clear vision of what he is seeking to achieve and the musicians on board this project are of a sufficiently high caliber to deliver the goods with aplomb. An outstanding recording that easily fits into the best albums of the year category.\u003cbr\u003e Tim Stenhouse, UK Vibe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ein sehr versöhnliches Album unter der Regie des Münchner Klangmeisters Manfred Eicher.\u003cbr\u003e Janko Tietz, Literaturspiegel\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Eine Platte mit betörender, geradezu hypnotisierender Musik.\u003cbr\u003e Johannes Kaiser, Südwestrundfunk\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOud-master Anouar Brahem's instantly intoxicating 'Blue Maqams' caps off a truly remarkable year for ECM Records. […] A maqam defines traditional Arab musical phrases, tones, notes and melodies but eschews control of rhythm, making all these blue maqams, these tightly composed universes, light years of inspiration and interpretation for Brahem's three daring cohorts, bassist Dave Holland, drummer Jack DeJohnette and the mischievous creativity of pianist Bates. They deliver non-stop.\u003cbr\u003e Mike Jurkovic, All About Jazz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Es ist ein Meisterwerk, weil die Blue Notes des Jazz vielleicht noch nie so schlüssig und unbeflissen mit der modalen Musik Arabiens verbunden wurden. Hier treffen sich Freiheit und Ehrfurcht vor der Tradition wie selbstverständlich.\u003cbr\u003e Ulrich Steinmetzger, Berner Zeitung\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe characteristics of Brahem's native Tunisia are apparent in the ostinato rhythms, cyclical scales and horizontal organization. Underneath is a power that comes from the subtle individualism of the music. This is not a fusion, but a holistic synthesis of traditional North African music, jazz and improvisation. […] Brahem's improvising is relaxed, each note full of purpose. Credit the rhythm section for seamlessly following the 60-year-old leader. Everyone handles the pattern-based forms with an easy flow. No surprise with bassist Dave Holland, who has a monumental sound, and Jack DeJohnette's trademark ticking cymbal sound is there, but in all other ways the drummer is so deeply submerged into the aesthetic that he sounds like an entirely different musician. […] This is a long album that's constantly absorbing and affecting.\u003cbr\u003e George Grella, Downbeat\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIt's rarely clear what's traditional and what's modern in Brahem's music, because it constantly wanders between – and thereby dissolves – these reference points. It's a sensibility he shares with the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, to whom he dedicated his 2009 album 'The Astounding Eyes of Rita'. Like Darwish's 'lyric epic', Brahem's music suggests that there is nothing more modern than a tradition that has been given new life. An embrace of the new is also the road home for an improvisatory tradition that has drifted astray from its exploratory roots. (The title of one track, 'The recovered road to al-Sham', an allusion to Syria, suggests that innovation and freedom might heal other forms of exile.) The mood throughout 'Blue Maqams' is one of restless transformation and searching, as the music's different elements combine to form a new alloy that floats free of its hybrid origins, but never forgets them.\u003cbr\u003e Adam Shatz, London Review of Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis is a gently exquisite album, in which the finest and most innovative oud (lute) player in Tunisia is joined by three of the most skilful improvisers in the jazz world today [...] There are passages where the subtle oud playing is echoed by thoughtful piano work, and others where the piano takes the lead, or a repeated bass line is used to underpin the oud and piano improvisation. It's a thrilling meeting of master musicians.\u003cbr\u003e Robin Denselow, Songlines\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Die perfekte Balance zwischen Komposition und Improvisation […] So startet ‚Bom Dia Rio' den musikalischen Dialog mit sprödem Charme, solo auf der Oud. Hollands Bass sets mit einer kleinen, flinken Figur ein. Der Pianist streut ein paar Akkorde ein, nimmt die Melodie auf und DeJohnette grundiert dies alles mit feinsten Pinselstrichen an Becken und Trommeln. Ein Meisterwerk der Entschleunigung.\u003cbr\u003e Andreas Collet, Badische Zeitung\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003ePoesie ist das Kennwort dieser Begegnung, die atmosphärisch mit leisen Becken-Crashs in 'La Nuit' wandelt, berührt ein Klaviermonolog sogar atonale Bereiche. Der Titelsong has fast Popqualitäten und ‚Persepolis's Mirage' einen intensiveven Ostinato-Groove.\u003cbr\u003e Hans-Dieter Grünfeld, HiFi \u0026amp; Records\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFor 'Blue Maqams', his tenth LP on the venerable ECM label, Tunisian oudist Anouar Brahem shifts away from the grand concepts that drove his previous album Souvenance, instead convening a jazz trio. And what an ensemble it is, too. Veteran British pianist Django Bates (Bill Bruford, Tim Berne) takes the chordal helm, with Jack DeJohnette and Dave Holland – perhaps the greatest living rhythm section in jazz – providing supple support. Melody rules here; Brahem's ability to blend jazz changes with the Middle Eastern tonalities of his homeland gives each song a distinctive tone, accessible yet challenging. […] Masterfully performed and arranged, 'Blue Maqams' is a record of great beauty and fire.\u003cbr\u003e Michael Toland, Blurt\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e DESCRIPTION\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003eThree brilliant improvisers join Tunisian oud master Anouar Brahem in this album, recorded in New York in May 2017. For Brahem and Dave Holland the album marks a reunion: they first collaborated 20 years ago on the very widely-acclaimed\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThimar\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ealbum, a trio recording with John Surman. Brahem meets Jack DeJohnette for the first time here, but Holland and DeJohnette have, of course, been frequent musical partners over the last half-century, beginning with ground-breaking work with Miles Davis: their collaborations are legendary. British pianist Django Bates also rises superbly to the challenge of Brahem's compositions. And Anouar in turn is inspired to some of his most outgoing playing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003eFor Anouar Brahem, it's the work itself that sets a direction. He addresses the question of context and setting only as his music \"emerges\": \"I simply began in my usual way\", he writes in his liner note for\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBlue Maqams.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\"Letting the ideas come in of their own accord, with no tendency one way or another in terms of style, form or instrumentation.\" He worked on several sketches in parallel, \"and what emerged first and then really began to take shape was my desire to blend the sounds of the oud and the piano once again, soon followed by my wish to associate this delicate instrumental combination with a real jazz rhythm section.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003eAlthough he has never harbored ambitions to be a jazz player, Anouar has long felt a sense of solidarity with the music's practitioners: \"I first started listening to jazz when I was a teenager living in Tunis in the 70s. At the time, I was passionately devoted to the traditional Arab music I'd had the good fortune to study under the great master Ali Sriti. Paradoxically, I was [also] full of curiosity about other forms of musical expression. The aesthetics of jazz were very different to those of Arab music, but I was attracted by this music that took me into a completely different world, one I felt close to as well. Undoubtedly there is a kind of spontaneity in Arab music, a way of playing that allows musicians to go deep into their own feelings and take some liberties with the original score through improvisation;\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\n\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003eBrahem began to play with jazz improvisers in the 1980s, with recorded collaborations beginning the following decade. The album\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eMadar\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(1992) brought Anouar together with saxophonist Jan Garbarek and tabla player Shaukat Hussain, while\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eKhomsa\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(1994) found him reworking compositions written for film and theater with improvisers including François Couturier, Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThimar\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e(1997), with Dave Holland and John Surman, marked a major breakthrough in the space between the traditions, with the participants finding a shared musical language.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBlue Maqams\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003etakes this notion further. The \"maqams\" of the title refers to the sophisticated modal system of Arab music, perhaps rendered kind of blue by the participating improvisers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003eDave Holland and Jack DeJohnette have played together on a number of ECM recordings including four albums with John Abercrombie in the Gateway trio, Kenny Wheeler's\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGnu High\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeer Wan\u003c\/em\u003e , and George Adams's\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSound Suggestions\u003c\/em\u003e . Brahem first encountered this mighty bass and drums team live in Zurich in the early 1990s, when they were performing with Betty Carter and Geri Allen. \"This charismatic rhythm section left a very powerful impression.\" Playing live with Dave Holland, on tours with the Thimar trio, was an experience Brahem cherished. \"I often told Dave that his playing gave me wings as a soloist. And we spoke, too, about doing more recording. It was a matter, though, of waiting for the right material. But once I'd thought about Dave for this new album, it was very natural to think about Jack, too. It's an immense privilege to have their participation.\" Bringing the jazz drum kit and the soft-singing oud together presents specific dynamic challenges: \"I was aware, when I saw that the music would need drums, that this would indeed be challenging, but I also felt that if anybody could address this creatively, it would be Jack DeJohnette, who is one of the most sensitive and subtle drummers. He can move as delicately as a cat, with such a graceful and flowing rhythm.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003eFinding the right pianist for the project took longer. \"For several months, I listened to a considerable number of players and had many long discussions with Manfred about the style I thought this record needed. Finally, he asked me one day to listen to a recording he'd just made with Django Bates...\" [This was\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Study of Touch\u003c\/em\u003e , with Bates's Belovèd trio with Petter Eldh and Peter Bruun, scheduled for release in November.] \"I was highly impressed by Django's mixture of virtuosic musicianship and lyricism. In the recording studio, I discovered several qualities in Django, not only his dazzling piano technique, but also his creative and inventive powers and his outstandingly strong proposals. He does some absolutely magnificent things on this recording that always bring something new and unusual to the score.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003eBalancing freedom and faithfulness to the score is crucial for Anouar Brahem: \"I like each piece to keep its own identity in and through written music. The musician's role is to fit into this universe and express himself inside the framework of this identity.... It's important for me to keep the true universe of each piece. An important part of our group work has been about this aspect – working together to find the right balance between composed and improvised music. For even in composed pieces or passages where I leave no room for personal interpretation, I like the music to sound as though it surges forth in an inspired, improvised flow.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003eThe music for\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBlue Maqams\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewas written between 2011 and 2017, with the exception of two pieces, \"Bom Dia Rio\" and \"Bahia\", both of which were composed in 1990, and revived for this project. Long-term Brahem listeners will be familiar with \"Bahia\", a version of which can be heard on\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eMadar\u003c\/em\u003e .\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e \u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eBlue Maqams\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewas recorded at New York's Avatar Studios and produced by Manfred Eicher.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\n\u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e \u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003eCONCERTS\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cspan style=\"color: black;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYEAR DATE VENUE LOCATION\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 18 Le Rocher de Palmer Cenon, France\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 23 Philharmonie Berlin, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 24 Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht, Netherlands\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 25 ECM Explorations- Philharmonie Paris, France\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e2025 April 26 ECM Explorations- Philharmonie Paris, France\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 27 off Beat Festival Basel, Switzerland\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 29 Auditorium Maurice-Ravel de Lyon Lyon, France\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 30 Bozar Bruxelles, Belgium\u003cbr\u003e 2025 May 01 Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 May 02 Isarphilharmonie Munich, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 May 03 de Roma Antwerp, Belgium\u003cbr\u003e 2025 November 02 National Concert Hall Dublin, Ireland\u003cbr\u003e 2025 November 08 EnjoyJazz Festival-Christuskirche Mannheim, Germany\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527602508117,"sku":"ECM Records, Blue Maqams, Anouar Brahem","price":38.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-Blue-Maqams-Anouar-Brahem-Dave-Holland-Jack-DeJohnette-Django-Bates-viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545681"},{"product_id":"ecm-records-le-pas-du-chat-noir-anouar-brahem-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, Le pas du chat noir, Anouar Brahem, vinyl record","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHypnotic, magnetic new album by Anouar Brahem which adds a new dimension to our knowledge of this exceptional Tunisian musician. \"Le pas du chat noir\" gives the clearest indication yet of the work of Brahem as a composer and features a spacious \"chamber music\" that resonates with the freshness of improvisation. The instrumentation is unique: oud, piano, accordion. Brahem's writing for this combination is highly evocative, meticulously controlled and sparse. Half of the magic, as he notes, resides in the not-played, in the marvelous mingling of overtones, sounds that rise from the piano to blend with the warm tones of the oud and the breath of the accordion's bellows.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Artists\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Anouar Brahem\u003cbr\u003e Oud\u003cbr\u003e Francois Couturier\u003cbr\u003e Piano\u003cbr\u003e Jean-Louis Matinier\u003cbr\u003e Accordion\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRecorded\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e July 2001, Radio Studio DRS, Zürich\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Release Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 09.09.2002\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e 1 The Footsteps of the Black Cat\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 07:51\u003cbr\u003e 2 With all your heart\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 07:38 \u003cbr\u003e3 Leila in the land of the carousel\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 06:33\u003cbr\u003e 4 Picnic in Nagpur\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 04:11\u003cbr\u003e 5 It's somewhere else\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 08:02\u003cbr\u003e 6 You who know\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 05:56\u003cbr\u003e 7 The tree that sees\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 06:07\u003cbr\u003e 8 A blue dot\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 01:44\u003cbr\u003e 9 The Wings of Bourak\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 04:52\u003cbr\u003e 10 Rue du départ\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 06:00\u003cbr\u003e 11 Leila au pays du carrousel, var.\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 05:36\u003cbr\u003e 12 It's already night\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 05:10\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e MEDIA REACTIONS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e A record of astonishing harmonic richness, Le pas du chat noir attests to Brahem's unexpected devotion to the piano as a compositional tool and forces some retrospective recognition of how classically pianistic a lot of his music has been down the years. The oud here takes its place in a rich and constantly shifting context, with the two keyed instruments creating contrasting textures and environments for Brahem's gorgeous melody lines. ... This is a consistently rewarding and very surprising record. Ask me a year from now and I'll be finding new things in it.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003eBrian Morton, Jazzreview\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003eThe album is at once an extension and an audacious departure from the tradition of the oud. Despite his formidable knowledge of the maqarnat, an ornate system of modes that anchors Arabic music, he rarely bases his improvisations directly on the maqams. His phrasing is pure and uncluttered, expressing itself through silence almost as often as sound. ...Composed of elegantly flowing lines and somber, breathlike silences, the music shimmers with the overtones of the piano. ... Mr. Brahem bases several of the tunes on spare, broken chords, repeated in the childlike manner of Satie. Simple though they are, however, they contain beguiling Arabesques. The three musicians rarely appear at once, performing as a trio on only seven of the album's 12 tracks. For the most part, you hear duets - piano and oud, oud and accordion, accordion and oud. The musicians often double each other's lines, but rarely in unison, which enhances the music's intimacy while producing a floating, echo effect. If every band projects \"an image of community,\" as the critic Greil Marcus once suggested, then Mr. Brahem's trio - part takht, part jazz trio, part chamber ensemble - evokes a kind of 21st century Andalusia, in which European and Arab sensibilities have merged so profoundly that the borders between them have dissolved. The image may be utopian, but its beauty is undeniable.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003eAdam Shatz, The New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e The album is like a sad rhapsody, full of shadowy mirages and blue echoes, the prevailing melancholy not dour and heavy but rather light and cloudy. Names like Satie, Debussy, Mounir Bachir, even Eno in acoustic mode keep flashing across your mental screen as you listen. This is academy music with no clothes on, naked and awkward, honest and beautiful. Close your eyes and you could be in the port of Dar el Baida, a seagull swooping over a grey-blue sea and huge cranes and rusty hulled freighters in the background, the light and forgetful breeze brushing your cheek. Le pas du chat noir features uncontrived performances of cat-like agility - soft, bright-eyed and magical. It is a brilliant piece of work.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e \u003cem\u003eAndy Morgan, Songlines\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003eWho would have thought that the supremely subtle oud could be featured on a recording with piano, that most dominantly Western of instruments' Meticulously arranged and ideally, gorgeously recorded, Le pas du chat noir features Tunisian oud virtuoso\/composer Anouar Brahem in a fresh setting conceived at the keyboard and then realized with pianist François Couturier and accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier. The result is as redolent of the French minimalism of Satie and, even more so, his Catalan successor Mompou as it is of traditional Arabic music. There is a hushed, highly concentrated quality to this Pan-Mediterranean musical \"haiku\", with the notes purified down to their absolute essence. The entire package - music, sound, cover design - is ECM at its best. As much as any of the label's \"crossover\" hits, this album brims with appeal for all who have an ear for the best in music.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e \u003cem\u003eBradley Bambarger, Billboard\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003eArabische, Maghrebinische oder gar Weltmusik - derlei Schubladen waren für den Tunisiaschen Oudvirtuosen Anouar Brahem von jeher zu eng. Bestes Beispiel: das Trioalbum Thimar mit John Surman und Dave Holland. Jetzt hat er mit dem französische Pianisten François Couturier und dem Akkordeonspieler Jean-Louis Matinier ein noch weitaus ubytauscher instrumentiertes Trio zusammengestellt. Die Stücke entwickelte er am Klavier. Erst viel später found sein eigentliches Instrument, die arabische Laute Oud, ihren Platz in dieser sparsamen Kammermusik voller Stille, Poesie und atmosphärischer Nähe zu Erik Satie, in der das Akkordeon gleichsam die Rolle einer \"inneren Stimme\" aufbarer. Chains.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e \u003cem\u003eBerthold Klostermann, Background Forum\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003eDiese stille, touching music lebt von wechselden Dialogen, which bring Arabische Gelassenheit in rhythmischer Vertracktheit mit europäischer Kammermusik von Bach bis zur Klassischen Moderne in Einklang. Jean-Louis Matinier zieht die Klänge seines Akkordeons mit einer bittersüßen, vibrierenden Eleganz; Klänge, die in ihrer redüzten Intensität wie ferne Schwingungen des innersten Wesens französische Muzettes wirken. Dazwischen weben sich die Töne der Oud, die zart von François Couturier am Flügel aufgegriffen und mit sutiler Raffinesse verdoppelt werden. Intime Zwiegspräche entwickln sich, eine einsam schwingende Klaviersaite ruft ein Echo auf der Oud hervor, es entshtät ein Frage-und-Antwort-Spiel von geradezu hypnotischer Kraft.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e \u003cem\u003eSven Thielmann, Stereoplay\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n \u003cdiv\u003eDramatiques, sereines, légères, profondes... Il est difficile de qualify les atmosphères qui s'en dégégent. En un mot, voilà une musique pleine, qui n'a pas peur du vide, du quasi-silence, où la note juste est conservée, sans excès de minimalisme étriqué. ... Sans jamais perdre la direction qu'il s'est choisie, ce disque réaffirme le plaisir et sa sensualité de ce musician expert, son goût pour la formule du trio, format qu'il creuse en renouvelant constantement l'instrumentation.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e \u003cem\u003eJaques Denis, Jazzman (Choc Jazzman)\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\n\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e CONCERTS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eYEAR DATE VENUE LOCATION\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 18 Le Rocher de Palmer Cenon, France\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 23 Philharmonie Berlin, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 24 Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht, Netherlands\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 25 ECM Explorations- Philharmonie Paris, France\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 26 ECM Explorations- Philharmonie Paris, France \u003cbr\u003e2025 April 27 off Beat Festival Basel, Switzerland\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 29 Auditorium Maurice-Ravel de Lyon Lyon, France\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 30 Bozar Bruxelles, Belgium\u003cbr\u003e 2025 May 01 Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 May 02 Isarphilharmonie Munich, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 May 03 de Roma Antwerp, Belgium\u003cbr\u003e 2025 November 02 National Concert Hall Dublin, Ireland\u003cbr\u003e 2025 November 08 EnjoyJazz Festival-Christuskirche Mannheim, Germany\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527641960789,"sku":"Le pas du chat noir Anouar Brahem","price":38.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-Le-pas-du-chat-noir-Anouar-Brahem-viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545688"},{"product_id":"ecm-records-awase-nik-bartschs-ronin-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, Awase, Nik Bärtsch's Ronin, vinyl record","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Awase\", a term from martial arts, means \"moving together\" in the sense of matching energies, a fitting metaphor for the dynamic precision, tessellated grooves and balletic minimalism of Nik Bärtsch's Ronin. Six years have passed since the last release from the Swiss group. In the interim, trimmed from quintet to quartet size and with new bassist Thomy Jordi fully integrated, Ronin has become a subtly different band. Bärtsch speaks of a new-found freedom and flexibility in the approach to the material, with \"greater transparency, more interaction, more joy in every performance\". The freedom here extends to revisiting early Bärtsch modules alongside new compositions including, for the first time on a Ronin record, a piece by reedman Sha.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cem\u003eAwase\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cspan\u003ewas recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the south of France in October 2017 and produced by Manfred Eicher.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Artists\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Nik Bärtsch's Ronin\u003cbr\u003e Nik Bärtsch\u003cbr\u003e Piano\u003cbr\u003e Sha\u003cbr\u003e Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone \u003cbr\u003eThomy Jordi\u003cbr\u003e Bass\u003cbr\u003e Kaspar Rast\u003cbr\u003e Drums\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRecorded\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e October 2017, Studios La Buissonne, Pernes les Fontaines\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Release Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 04.05.2018\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e 1 Module 60\u003cbr\u003e (Nik Bärtsch)\u003cbr\u003e 05:08\u003cbr\u003e 2 Module 58\u003cbr\u003e (Nik Bärtsch)\u003cbr\u003e 18:19\u003cbr\u003e 3 A (Stefan Haslebacher)\u003cbr\u003e 08:23\u003cbr\u003e 4 Module 36\u003cbr\u003e (Nik Bärtsch)\u003cbr\u003e 13:37\u003cbr\u003e 5 Module 34\u003cbr\u003e (Nik Bärtsch)\u003cbr\u003e 08:51\u003cbr\u003e 6 Module 59\u003cbr\u003e (Nik Bärtsch)\u003cbr\u003e 11:01\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e MEDIA REACTIONS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eThe album continues his modular approach, by which larger bodies coalesce from elemental forces. The newest of these, 'Modul 60' and 'Modul 59', open and close the album with hints of a concentrated future. Where the latter emotes in liminal territory, the former is a direct link to 'Continuum', Bärtsch's previous record for ECM with his Mobile project. Any nods to the past, however, are refracted through a brighter coming of age: a sound that once ran now leaps. […] 'Awase' is also a departure for including a non-Bärtsch original by Sha: the enigmatically titled 'A'. Gradually building an ocean out of a water droplet, its waves flow to magnetic suggestions of an itinerant philosophical compass. Like the album as a whole, it toes the line between light and shadow with every intention of shedding its ego both along (and by) the way.\u003cbr\u003e Tyran Grillo, New York City Jazz Record\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEach musician captures the essence of the composer's gift for texture, which is usually bolstered by juxtaposing exquisite lines in the form of ostinatos. […] The 18-minute 'Modul 58' can be seen as a sum of all the other pieces. It starts with slowly built piano layers enlivened by occasional bass harmonics and pumps, delicate cymbal splashes, and non-intrusive sax embellishments. Obstinate high-pitched notes on the piano drive us into a hypnotic rhythm that feels half-rock, half-electronic. Afterwards, the quartet goes through a percussive phase enriched by saxophone pop sounds and air notes, muted pianism, and hi-hat delineations. It all ends up in a danceable acid jazz-funk hooked up in the fine rhythmic counterpoint between sax and piano. […] Bartsch's 'Awase' might feel easy on the ear, but, taking into account its level of musical thoroughness, is certainly an arduous work to execute. Don't expect improvised moments in the way they are commonly associated with jazz. This is a totally different approach, where the bandleader distills contemporary musical luster with sure-footed ritualistic grooves. \u003cbr\u003eFilipe Freitas, Jazz Trail\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After 'Modul 60,' the reflective and tranquil opener to 'Awase', from pianist Nik Bärtsch's groove-metric quartet Ronin, 'Modul 58' comes at you with such an insistence and power that it leaves you, after its persistent eighteen minutes, catching your breath, marveling at how you went from zero to mach 10 in the blink of an eye. […] Play with our heads the music does, though, in a dizzying, grand way, employing simple patterns unconcerned with downbeats or expectations and mantra-like modules (or \"Moduls,\" as Bärtsch chooses to title his works) of sheer minimalist groove that expand, contract and expand again at the whim and will of both composer and players.\u003cbr\u003e Mike Jurkovic, All About Jazz\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEin mitreißendes Groove-Jazz-Album in fantastischer Klangqualität […] Der Titel des neuen Albums ‚Awase' meint im japanese Aikido-Kampfsport so etwas wie ‚gemeinsames Bewegen'. Und genau das passiert in den von Bärtsch traditionel nur mit Modul und einer Nummer bezeichneten Stücken […] Die Wirkung ist zum Teil hypnotisch, so wie das von Thommy Jordis satt grundierendem Bass und Kaspar Rasts markigem Schlagzeug getragene Ensemble losgroovt. [...] Das Highlight ist ‚Module 58', das geradezu rockt und die formidable Klangqualität der Produktion bestens zum Tragen bringt.\u003cbr\u003e Lothar Brandt, Mint\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Awase' reveals Bärtsch's aesthetic methodology as instantly recognizable to anyone who has heard it before. That said, he's also expanded his color, texture, and timbral palettes, bringing a more strident physicality into Ronin's skeletal music and extrapolating it in more readily accessible harmonic compositions -- without sacrificing the layers of mystery in its heart.\u003cbr\u003e Thom Jurek, All Music\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDie Instrumentalisten spielen repetitive Figuren oder Patterns, die sich polymetrisch übereinanderlegen und ineinander verzahnen. So verschieben sich die simplen Motive gegeneinander und treffen sich an immer anderen Punkten. Was im ersten Moment immer gleich zu sein scheint, erscheint durch das sich entwicklende klangliche Umfeld doch stets neu. So entstecht aus dem radically reduced Spielmaterial des Einzelnen eine riche, sich organicisch entwicklende Klangfülle, die sich gleichsam von selbst emporschraubt in ekstatische Passagen. Möglich wird diese Musik durch Ronin's consequentes Verfolgen einer Gesamtdramaturgie, die auf Kosten der individualen musikalischen Inszenierung muss […] Bärtsch, Jordi, Rast und Sha sparen ihre Musizierlust also nicht für den Moment des großen Solos auf, sondern stecken sie permanently in den Kollektivsound.\u003cbr\u003e Florian Bissig, Neue Zürcher Zeitung\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eZum rituellen Sog von Bärtschs Quartett (die Band des Pianisten machen heute die langjährigen Partner Sha, Bassklarinette und Alto, Thomi Jordi am Bass und Kaspar Rast am Schlagzeug) gehört ein besonderes Zeitverständnis. […] zur Community von Bärtschs Ritualen gehört das Publikum ebenso wie die Musiker. Die sind über die Jahre zu einer beispielsosen Dichte zusammengewachsen, die ihre kunstvoll polymetrische Kunst wie ein Naturereignis erleben lassen.\u003cbr\u003e Peter Rüedi, Die Weltwoche\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e They're able to sustain a remarkable level of focus and intensity over extended periods. At 18:19, 'Modul 60' is the longest piece the group has recorded to date, and it's also one of their most exciting, featuring repeated rises and falls and even something like a crescendo. 'Awase' is a highly assured album by one of the most interesting groups in European classical\/jazz\/funk. Ronin have been away too long; it's good to have them back.\u003cbr\u003e Phil Freeman, Burning Ambulance\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIt's hard to speak of Bartsch's individual pieces in structural or narrative terms. They'd probably be drained of mystery if a commenter or listener were to exhaustively do so. It's certainly easier to latch onto other aspects, such as the slow, asymmetrical chanting quality of 'A', Bärtsch's occasional inside-the-piano percussion work in 'Modul 36', the beseeching, vaguely Arabic intimations during 'Modul 60', the jump cut that leads into the exultantly funky and polyrhythmic 'Modul 34', and the slow, airy start of 'Modul 59' and the grinding, bass-clarinet-enhanced groove that materializes from it before spiraling in intensity. Sonically, the album could not be more lucid, which is as it should be given that clarity and exactitude are key to Bärtsch's music. I would feel deprived if I listened to nothing but Bartsch's oeuvre day in, day out. But at the same time, it makes me listen and engage with music in a different way, perhaps even meditatively so, and makes me hear other music differently when I return to it. That's something of a gift, I think. \u003cbr\u003ePeter Hum, Ottawa Citizen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Der Titel des neuen Albums 'Awase' gibt die Richtung vor: ein Begriff aus der japanischen Kampfkunst Aikido, der das Zusammenfließen von Energien beschreibt. Demzufolge kommt der ‚neue' Ronin leichtfüßiger daher, nicht zuletzte, because Jordi sich gegenstät zu seinem frequently soloierenden Vorgänder Björn Meyer auf die klassische Role des Bassisten als Begleiter koncentrett und deruch dem Piano mehr Luft gibt. Die Band arbeitt immer noch mit Bärtschs Modulen, diesmal fünf an der Zahl und bis zu 18 Minuten lang. Als Novum steers Sha eine eigene Komposition bei (‚A'). Und sie beherrschen immer noch die Kunst der harmonischen und rhythmischen Verschiebung, 2018 jedoch noch einen Tick differenzierter und variantenreicher als in den Jahren von Sturm und Drang.\u003cbr\u003e Reinhard Köchl, Jazzthing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ‚Awase' is another superb and cohesive disc that highlights Bärtsch's and his sidemen's outstanding musicianship and artistic vision.\u003cbr\u003e Hrayr Attarian, All About Jazz\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn der Summe ergibt das diese felsenfeste Kompaktheit, die doch voller winziger Ziselierungen ist und sich kraftvoll und massiv zum Hypnotischen entfaltet. Dabei behält sie eine Transparenz, die das gemesinä Voranschreiten mitvollziehbar und plausibel machen. Alte und neue Module sich so auf einem beeindruckend durchgehaltenen Energielevel, das seine Wurzeln im Steten des gemeinsam Arbeitens hat.\u003cbr\u003e Ulrich Steinmetzger, Leipziger Volkszeitung\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis being their first album since 2012's 'Live' and the first studio album since 'Llyrìa' the year before, the sonic footprint Ronin had indeed dwindled somewhat, since replacing Björn Meyer's 6-string bass guitar with Thomy Jordi's four string guitar and percussionist Andi Pupato departed with no replacement at all. That left a quartet with also Bärtsch on piano, Sha on bass clarinet\/alto sax and Kaspar Rast on drums. None of that has made Ronin incomplete in the least. The originators of 'ritual groove music' remain focused on that mission, but this in a band in gradual but perpetual transition and the strategy might not manifest itself on the first or even second listen but when it does, that 'a-ha!' moment is always rewarding. So, Jordi might not be as much of a natural 'lead guitar' bassist as Meyer but he can weave himself deeper into Bärtsch's elaborate tapestries. Extra percussion can come from unconventional places, such as from knocking on the panel of a piano or puffing on a reed, and nothing is lost from doing so. […] It's a somewhat revamped Ronin, but Nik Bärtsch saw an opportunity with those changes and exploited them. 'Awase' can move both your mind and your soul, but the deceptively fresh approach it takes to get under the skin like that is the brilliance of Bärtsch and his Ronin quartet. If you don't get it on the first listen, put on some headphones and take it for another spin; I'm sure glad I did. \u003cbr\u003eS. Victor Aaron, Something Else Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Swiss pianist-composer Nik Bärtsch has been injecting electronica and minimalism with soul, jazzy hipness and danceable bounce with his Ronin Ensemble since 2001, and 'Awase' – with bass recruit Thomy Jordi adding a new fluidity – deepens the group's famous expressiveness of tone and texture.\u003cbr\u003e John Fordham, The Guardian Online\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e'Awase' having a quartet version of Ronin in tow, brings a sense of more space and freedom for each band member to make micro movements within the often striking almost machine like precision they execute. The micro movements allow for subtle changes in the tonality and texture that much minimalist music reveals over time, but there is still a quite organic almost improvised feeling. […] 'Awase' and Bärtsch's utterly singular concept of ritual groove music, which is sometimes exercised for days at a time is nothing less than compelling and hypnotic. The group has little to do with 'jazz' in the traditional sense of the word, but the spirit and adventure of jazz is in every note.\u003cbr\u003e CJ Shearn, Jazz Views with CJ Shearn\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003ePianist Nik Bartsch occupies a unique place in music. The Swiss bandleader\/composer's work with his long-running band Ronin is jazzy, but not quite jazz; heavily influenced by contemporary classical music, but not that, either; subtly funky, but definitely not funk. Bartsch calls it 'ritual groove music,' which is a pretty open-ended way to describe anything. Suffice it to say that Bartsch's work makes a virtue of not fitting under an umbrella, especially on Ronin's eight album 'Awase'. […] Unafraid to show their skills, yet decidedly unflashy, Bartsch and his musicians put all of their energy into supporting the tunes themselves, rather than setting up showcases. That makes 'Awase' an album with a resonance outside of the jazz atmosphere, but without the scent of any compromise whatsoever. No mean feat, and one that helps make Ronin its own distinctive beast.\u003cbr\u003e Michael Toland, Blurt\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOf minimalist tendencies, but a hell of a lot more funky and slinky than the stiff metronomics of Philip Glass and Steve Reich, it even sounds somewhat jazzy at times, although, apart from a section in the wistful 'Modul 60' which features a free-flowing, expressive alto saxophone solo from Sha (aka Stefan Haslebacher), it is hard to tell whether there is any improvisation. Even that solo in 'Modul 60' could be fully composed. Nik Bärtsch builds up his compositions organically, out of simple motifs that gradually accrue layers of material until a high level of melodic and rhythmic complexity is reached. […] Simply put, 'Awase' means the blending of things, and that's a good description of how Ronin functions. It's a tight-knit unit, collectively strong, so much so that at times I stopped noticing which instrument was doing what and just listened to the music as a thing in itself. […] Despite Bärtsch's immemorable titles (apart from one excellent piece by Sha, all are numbered 'Moduls'), the compositions have tons of character. They're atmospheric, propulsive and often dazzling displays of rigor and group interplay. \u003cbr\u003eBrian Marley, London Jazz News\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Erheblichen Anteil am teils treibenden, teils kreisenden Groove haben Thomy Jordi am Bass und Kaspar Rast am Schlagzeug. Die Bassklarinette und das Altsaxofon von Stefan Haslebacher, unter dem Künstlernamen ‚Sha' seit 2003 ein Ronin, kommen diesmal besonders zum Tragen. Mit ‚A' ist auch erstmals ein Stück von ihm dabei, ein feines eigenständiges Gebilde, das gleichwohl zwischen den Modulen 58 und 36 versmittelt - denn das Album funktioniert nicht als Ansammlung einzelner Werke, sondern ist Arbeitsprobe und Gesamterlebnis in einem. Eine der spannungsreichsten Jazz-Veröffentlichungen des Jahres bisher, fünf Sterne sowohl für die hier kernige, da fließende Musik als auch für den excellenten Klang.\u003cbr\u003e Jens-Uwe Sommerschuh, Sächsische Zeitung\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA dedicated martial arts practitioner, Bärtsch's work embodies a graceful economy of movement combined with the rapid and often unexpected transference of energy from one body to another. Drummer Kaspar Rast's extrasensory beats accent and underpin breathtaking exchanges between Sha's sinuous woodwind and saxes and bassist Thomy Jordi's kinetic pulses. Filled with dynamic themes, these dovetailing syncopations might sound cerebral, but Ronin's music is intensely physical, with a punchy groove that's irresistible. Not a solo insight, this is the sound of four people moving as one. If their back catalog is a treasure chest spilling over with glittering jewels, 'Awase' is their most spectacular gem to date.\u003cbr\u003e Sid Smith, Prog\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Nik Bärtsch treibt seine radicale und doch accessiblee Soundforschung mit 'Awase' zu einem neuen Höhepunkt.\u003cbr\u003e Claudius Grigat, Chrismon\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAt times you'll hear echoes of Steve Reich or King Crimson (notice the interlocking odd-time passages throughout 'Modul 58,' for example), but mostly what you hear is instantly recognizable as Bärtsch and only Bärtsch. Sometimes hypnotizing, often funky, and sometimes brilliantly disorienting, this is utterly unique and deeply beautiful music.\u003cbr\u003e Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Die verschworene Gemeinschaft, die Ronin bildet, zeigt sich wohl nirgends so deutlich wie auf 'Modul 58', dem mit mit mit 18 Minuten längsten Stück des Albums: Ein fünfer- und ein Siebener-Rhythmus arbeiten scheinn gegeneinander und erzeigen in ihrer Einfakheit einen pulsierenden Groove, der selbst an Stellen, an denen Schlagzeuger Kaspar Rast aussetzt, scheint fortzubestehen. Bass clarinettist Sha, who with ‚A' erstmals ein Stück zum Repertoire beiteragen hat, verzahnt sich unauflöslich mit Klavier und Bass – wer hätte gedacht, dass diese Band ihrer hohe Qualität überhaupt noch steigern könnte. Magic. \u003cbr\u003eRolf Thomas, Jazzthetik\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Pianist Nik Bärtsch's Ronin trim their sails and sharpen their already laser-like focus on 'Awase', the combo's first studio release in eight years. Slimming down to a quartet appears to have only intensified Ronin's near-telepathic discipline and their unique triangulation of chamber minimalism, jazz improvisation and crown-chakra funk.\u003cbr\u003e Richard Gehr, Relix\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It's been six years since the last release form Nik Bärtsch's Ronin, but 'Awase' is a welcome return to familiar form. […] The new disc also sees the departure of percussionist Andi Pupato, leaving it a three piano quartet; subdued drums in the back; grounded four-string electric bass replacing the melodic six-string; and the leader commanding less of the spotlight than on past outings. […] The album opens with the fleeting 'Modul 60', feeling like a prologue before the credits kick in. But once the story gets moving, it's exhilarating. From start to finish, it's a compelling album. \u003cbr\u003eKurt Gottschalk, Downbeat\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Bärtsch's signature resources – built on looping, Steve Reichian minimalist figures, layered with brooding North-Euro sax murmurs and ingenious polyrhythmic accumulations, varied by breakouts into catchy jazz-funk – remain hypnotically present on 'Awase' (it's a martial arts term from aikido, which Bärtsch practices), but much of the set has an exuberant and open feel that this meticulous, unflinchingly disciplined artist's studio work has sometimes lacked.  […] As is always said of Nik Bärtsch in jazz contexts, don't expect quirky improv or storming post-bop solos, but his jazz and rock-inflected 'ritual music' always exerts its own kind of mesmerizing pull.\u003cbr\u003e John Fordham, Jazzwise\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e DESCRIPTION\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eSix years have passed since Live, the last release from Nik Bärtsch's Ronin, the long gap bridged in 2015 with Continuum, an album from Mobile, Bärtsch's all-acoustic project. \"I wanted to give Ronin the peace and space it needed to develop,\" says the Swiss composer-pianist. \"Not to put it under pressure, and to take all the steps necessary before the next recording.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAwase, recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the South of France in October 2017 and produced by Manfred Eicher, updates us on the progress of one of the most original bands around, as well as the present-day status of ritual groove music, Bärtsch's all-purpose term for his self-invented idiom equidistant from jazz and funk and contemporary composition. Almost by definition, rituals can't be rushed, and Ronin has had some changes to absorb. With bassist Thomy Jordi replacing Björn Meyer in 2011, and percussionist Andi Pupato departing the following year, trimming the line-up from quintet to quartet, Ronin has gradually become a subtly different band. A leaner, more agile animal.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBärtsch speaks of a new-found freedom and flexibility in the approach to the material, with \"greater transparency, more interaction, more joy in every performance\". The freedom here extends to revisiting earlier Bärtsch modules alongside new compositions including, for the first time on a Ronin record, a piece by reedman Sha. \"We've spent a long time working on the new repertoire, really checking out and fine tuning all the details.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAwase, a term from Aikido, means \"moving together\" in the sense of matching energies, a fitting metaphor for the dynamic precision, tessellated grooves and balletic minimalism of Ronin today. In the old band, Bärtsch often chose to present Björn Meyer's flamboyant 6-string bass as a lead instrument. Thomy Jordi's 4-string bass guitar tends to be deployed within the fabric of the pieces, creatively fulfilling a more traditional bass function and locking in with Kaspar Rast's powerful drums. With Bärtsch also scaling back his own solo playing, listeners are encouraged to hear the whole music and its layered, shifting approach to interaction in new ways.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe album opens with an abbreviated version of \"Modul 60\", quite unlike the interpretation heard on the Mobile recording. \"We've always taken the position that the compositions can be played by both groups – Mobile or Ronin – to bring out different aspects of the music. When we did '60' with Mobile, I was hearing it in a very chamber music way and it radiated a sort of bittersweet atmosphere. With Ronin it has a sparseness, an emptiness and a roughness that I really like. In the studio Manfred and I had the idea that it would be nice to play it as a sort of 'quote', bringing the story forward from Continuum. So, this new version starts around the middle of the composition...\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\"Modul 58\" is built upon – in Ronin terms – \"a simple pattern cycle, just 5 against 7, and the same motif even, but it created such an interesting form. We usually think that metre, rhythm and the start of a piece all begin on the 'one', but in a lot of the tribal music styles we admire there is often not such a clear downbeat. '58' becomes a kind of metric mantra which keeps loading itself up until we get to the more open part. You can hear, almost ironically, the simplicity of the two rhythms but you cannot catch them at the same time. In its direction and its energy this piece still feels new to me, although there is something about it that seems archaic.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe role of bass clarinettist and alto saxophonist Sha (born Stefan Haslebacher) has been steadily growing inside Ronin, and this is acknowledged by the inclusion of his composition \"A\", which forms a contrasting transition on the album between \"Modul 58\" and \"Modul 36\", while also being an effective piece in its own right. Nik Bärtsch: \"When Ronin plays it as an organism it attains an enormous power and it shows, I think, that Sha is developing a personal and unique language as a composer.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\"Modul 36\" is an old Ronin favorite which introduced the group to ECM listeners back in 2006: \"Yes, it was a conscious decision to choose that piece to mark this quartet album also as a kind of new beginning, and to show how things have developed. In terms of structure and clear, fine detail, the compositional aspects – those things remain. But the group feeling is very different and the energy more voodoo-ish, perhaps. And I'm really enjoying it playing as part of the band again on '36', rather than soloing.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Written \"back in 2002 or 2003\", \"Modul 34\" receives its premiere recording here. \"Sometimes pieces just have to wait until they are ready, or we are ready. Part of the challenge with '34' was not to allow it to become too busy on the one hand, or too formal on the other.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe members of Ronin meet every week, as they have done for many years now, to puzzle out the implications of Bärtsch's pieces in workshops and performances at the Zürich club, Exil. The group is, says Nik, still coming to terms with the demanding final piece here, \"Modul 59\". It is one which, he says, points the way to the future. \"It begins from basic ideas, in this case to do with triplets, and builds until it becomes a sort of polyrhythmic, polyphonic carpet of sound. We've rehearsed and developed it extensively, and it still keeps surprising us.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e CONCERTS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eYEAR DATE VENUE LOCATION\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 02 Teatro Carani Sassuolo, Italy\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 15 Hall Of Mirrors Bratislava, Slovakia\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 16 Jazzclub Tonne Dresden, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 17 A-Trane Berlin, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 18 Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Germany \u003cbr\u003e2025 June 13 Alhambra Geneva, Switzerland\u003cbr\u003e 2025 August 08 Ronnie Scotts London, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e 2025 October 11 EnjoyJazz Karlstorbahnhof Heidelberg, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 November 29 Nica Club Hamburg, Germany\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527671419221,"sku":"Awase Nik Bärtsch's Ronin","price":38.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-Awase-Nik-Bartschs-Ronin-viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545695"},{"product_id":"ecm-records-last-dance-keith-jarrett-charlie-haden-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, Last Dance, Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, vinyl record","description":"\u003cp\u003eLast Dance features more music from the highly creative session at Keith Jarrett's home studio which brought forth the much-loved Jasmine album. In this new selection Jarrett and Charlie Haden broaden the scope of the project to include jazz classics like Thelonious Monk's \"Round Midnight\" and Bud Powell's spritely \"Dance Of The Infidels\", dazzlingly interpreted by the duo. Love songs are still to the fore, with tender versions of \"My Old Flame\", \"My Ship\", \"It Might As Well Be Spring\", \"Everything Happens To Me\", and \"Every Time We Say Goodbye\" as well as alternate takes of \"Where Can I Go Without You\" and \"Goodbye\", every bit as touching as the Jasmine renditions. \"When we play together it's like two people singing\", said Jarrett of this reunion with Haden. The intentions of the song are honored, the shades of meaning in a melody or a lyric explored instrumentally. As Charlie Haden put it, \"Keith really listens, and I listen. That's the secret. It's about listening.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Artists\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Keith Jarrett\u003cbr\u003e Piano\u003cbr\u003e Charlie Haden\u003cbr\u003e Double Bass\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRecorded\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e March 2007, Cavelight Studio\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Release Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 13.06.2014\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e 1 VINYLMy Old Flame\u003cbr\u003e (Arthur Johnston, Sam Coslow)\u003cbr\u003e 10:18\u003cbr\u003e 2 My Ship\u003cbr\u003e (Kurt Weill, Ira Gershwin)\u003cbr\u003e 09:36\u003cbr\u003e 3 'Round Midnight\u003cbr\u003e (Cootie Williams, Thelonious Monk)\u003cbr\u003e 09:33\u003cbr\u003e 4 Dance Of The Infidels\u003cbr\u003e (Bud Powell)\u003cbr\u003e 04:22\u003cbr\u003e 5 It Might As Well Be Spring\u003cbr\u003e (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II)\u003cbr\u003e 11:54\u003cbr\u003e 6 Everything Happens To Me\u003cbr\u003e (Thomas Adair, Matt Dennis)\u003cbr\u003e 07:12\u003cbr\u003e 7 Where Can I Go Without You\u003cbr\u003e (Victor Young, Peggy Lee)\u003cbr\u003e 09:31\u003cbr\u003e 8 Every Time We Say Goodbye\u003cbr\u003e (Cole Porter)\u003cbr\u003e 04:25\u003cbr\u003e 9 Goodbye\u003cbr\u003e (Gordon Jenkins)\u003cbr\u003e 09:06\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527755436373,"sku":"Last Dance, Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden","price":38.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-Last-Dance-Keith-Jarrett-Charlie-Haden-viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545702"},{"product_id":"ecm-records-live-marcin-wasilewski-trio-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, Live, Marcin Wasilewski Trio, vinyl record","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter four studio albums for ECM this is the live recording so many have been waiting for. Recorded in August 2016 at the Jazz Middelheim Festival in Antwerp, it captures the trio in energetic, extroverted mode, fanning the flames of their Spark of Life repertoire and drawing on the deep understanding Marcin Wasilewski, Slawomir Kurkiewicz and Michal Miskiewicz have established in the course of a quarter century of shared musical endeavour. As UK magazine Jazz Journal has noted, \"Wasilewski's music celebrates a vast dynamic range, from the most deftly struck pianistic delicacies to gloriously intense emotional exuberance, the chords pounded with unrestrained joy, yet always within a marvelously melodic concept.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Artists\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Marcin Wasilewski Trio\u003cbr\u003e Marcin Wasilewski\u003cbr\u003e Piano\u003cbr\u003e Slawomir Kurkiewicz\u003cbr\u003e Double Bass\u003cbr\u003e Michal Miskiewicz\u003cbr\u003e Drums\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRecorded\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e August 2016, Park Den Brandt, Antwerp\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Release Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 14.09.2018\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e 1 Spark Of Life \/ Sudovian Dance \u003cbr\u003e(Marcin Wasilewski, Marcin Wasilewski)\u003cbr\u003e 12:29\u003cbr\u003e 2 Message In A Bottle\u003cbr\u003e (Gordon Sumner)\u003cbr\u003e 10:43\u003cbr\u003e 3 Three Reflections\u003cbr\u003e (Marcin Wasilewski)\u003cbr\u003e 09:13\u003cbr\u003e 4 Night Train To You\u003cbr\u003e (Marcin Wasilewski)\u003cbr\u003e 13:32\u003cbr\u003e 5 Austin\u003cbr\u003e (Marcin Wasilewski)\u003cbr\u003e 07:42\u003cbr\u003e 6 Actual Proof\u003cbr\u003e (Herbie Hancock)\u003cbr\u003e 10:40\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e MEDIA REACTIONS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e In this 'Live' environment, partially fueled by an enthusiastic audience, the trio surpasses even their best studio material.\u003cbr\u003e Karl Ackermann, All About Jazz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e War das Trio an der Seite von Tomasz Stanko noch das filigree-leichtfüßige Gegenüber zu dessen brüchigen, schwermütig-rauen Melodielinien, so zeigt sich die Band ‚Live' nunmehr stichter als energiegeladenes Powerpaket. Sensibel gespielte Melodien und dynamische Improvisationen verbinden sich in der Musik des Trios mit technischer Vollkommenheit zu einem kollektiv agerenden Ganzen.\u003cbr\u003e Heribert Ickerott, Jazzpodium\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDas Repertoire speist sich vorwiegend aus dem ‚Spark Of Life'-Programm, der Kollaboration mit saxophonist Joachim Milder von 2013. In diesen Stücken ist das Trio im Vergleich zu den Studio-Fassungen mit deutlich erhöheter Energiezufuhr zu hören. Das gilt auch für ‚Night Train To You' vom Faithfull-Album, in dessen Verlauf das Trio so sehr zur Einheit verschmilzt, das kaum mehr zu sagen ist, wer nun gerade soliert und wer begleitet. In dem sanften ‚Three Reflections' offenbaren die Musiker ihr sensibles Spiel. Man kann die Spannung im Saal regelrecht püren. Das Staunen, den Sog.\u003cbr\u003e Sebastian Meißner, Soundsandbooks\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMit leichter Hand zeichnet Marcin Wasilewski als Primus inter Pares fabelhafte Piano-Melodien von flirrendem Spielwitz. For this, Slawomir Kurkiewicz pulsates mit schönem Ton delicate Bass-Lines, which perfectly complement the refined accented drumming of Michal Miskiewicz. Nach vier prachtvoll dynamische Tracks sett das balladeske ‚Austin' einen derart anrührenden Kontrapunkt, dass es im Pp sofort ein Chart-Breaker würde. Herbie Hancocks ‚Actual Proof' brings finally ihre Weltklasse auf den Punkt: So souverän agiert deritz kein anderes Piano-Trio.\u003cbr\u003e Hans-Dieter Grünefeld, HiFi Records\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eKaum zu glauben: Solche Klänge vor 4.000 Zuhörern! Noch dazu eine Aufnahme, von der Wasilewski und seine beiden Kollegen erst nach dem Konzert erfuhren. Sie spielten also nicht für das Mikrophon, sondern für das Publikum – und für den Moment. Und an dem stimmte offenbar alles. Bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz und Schlagzeuger Michal Miskiewicz sind seit langem die Trio-Partner Marcin Wasilewskis: ein Dreier-Gespann, das meitander atmet und besonders viel Sinn für atmosphärische Intensität hat. Und für Drive - wenn es sein muss. Festzustellung etwa in einem Stück, das im Original von dem Sänger Sting und seiner Band The Police stammt. Ein Pop-Klassiker, hier im Jazztrio-Gewand: ‚Message in a Bottle': Ein Ensemble wie dieses lässt die Hörer auch solch einen Gassenhauer wieder neu entdecken. Ein über zehn Minuten langes, breath-taking Erlebnis jazziger Klang-Dramatik macht es will do.\u003cbr\u003e Roland Spiegel, Bayerischer Rundfunk\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe team does some wonderfully selected pieces of other artists for interpretation; The Police's 'Message in a Bottle' is a deep and delicate pulsation of extrapolation, and Herbie Hancock's 'Actual Proof' has some intrepid interplay between Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz. Wasilewiski's own 'Spark of Life\/Sudovian Dance' opens with soft reflective spaces before building up into a dramatic passion, while his 'Three Reflections' has autumnal brush work and a bass solo that is like water color brush strokes. Open spaces with a full moon glowing from above.\u003cbr\u003e George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eRecorded by Flemish radio in Antwerp 2016 without the trio's knowledge, this accidental live disc not only delivers to followers of this long-lived Polish unit an essential live document, it washes over newcomers like a cresting baptismal wave that never stops cleansing the soul and senses. Nearing thirty years as a unit—they also served as the late trumpeter Tomasz Stanko's adventurous rhythm section from 2001-2006)—the ability of pianist Marcin Wasilewski, double bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michal Miskiewicz to anticipate and activate each other's musical turns and temptations is a marvel to experience.\u003cbr\u003e Mike Jurkovic, All About Jazz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Throughout, the trio's bluesy, propulsive groove factor contrasts with a majestic classical music sensibility […] a raw (you can feel the presence of the huge, 4000 capacity audience), yet sonically well-balanced mix, retains the electricity of their live performances, as anyone who's seen the trio perform would recognise.\u003cbr\u003e Selwyn Harris, Jazzwise\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThere's a galaxy of piano trios in today's jazz universe, but few shine as bright as Marcin Wasilewski's. […] The Sting tune 'Message in a Bottle' has a gently delirious quality, Wasilewski drifting from the theme only to be drawn back by Kurkiewicz reiterating the melody on bass; the urgent 'Night Train to You' rattles off the leader's right hand, stoked by a surging rhythm. Another original piece, 'Austin' is a perfect palimpsest of Polish melancholy combined with the blue poetry of American jazz. It's a gorgeous album.\u003cbr\u003e Garry Booth, BBC Music Magazine\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSince 1993, the Polish pianist Marcin Wasilewski has been playing with his compatriots, the bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and the drummer Michal Miskiewicz in an unveränderter Besetzung – such continuity is rare in Jazz. Entsprechend feinnervig ihr Interplay auf den sechs Stücken dieses Albums. Nevertheless, it is nicht wier eine Jam-Session, klingt weder intim noch entspannät, sondern im Gegenteil packend und fesselnd, teilmensei auch hochenergetisch.\u003cbr\u003e Harry Schmidt, Jazzthetik\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis band is, for me, the greatest jazz piano trio the world currently has to offer. Their line-up has not changed in a quarter of a century, and in that time they have become so cohesive as to sound like one person somehow managing to play all three instruments at once. Wasilewski, bassist Sławomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michał Miśkiewicz are truly telepathic. […] The gentler tunes quiver with the same intensity and drama as the fast ones: 'Three Reflections' and the gorgeously melodic 'Austin' are both examples of this. The trio never strays into discord or ugliness, yet maintains a distinctively modern sensibility.\u003cbr\u003e Peter Jones, London Jazz News\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDie impressive Live-Atmosphere dieser CD versmittel sich zum Beispiel in der Triofassung des Songs ‚Message in a bottle' von der legendaryären Band The Police. Völlig losgelöst im Hier und Jetzt interpretiert das Marcin Wasilewski Trio diesen Titel und treibt das Publikum mit stetem Rhythmus vor sich her. Erst nach zehn Minuten erreichen die Musiker atemlos so etwas wie eine kleine Kunstpause, bevor es mit dem nächsten Aufreger weitergeht. […] Faszinierend an der Live-Aufnahme ist, dass man bei den ruhigen Stücken eine Stecknadel fallen könnte hören. Das Publikum hält einfach den Atem an und läßt sich von dem Trio davontragen. Marcin Wasilewski am Klavier, Slawomir Kurkiewicz am Bass und Michal Miskiewicz am Schlagzeug sind dann vollkommen eins. A Mini-Ensemble that has been perfectly tuned for years.\u003cbr\u003e Georg Waßmuth, Südwestrundfunk\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMostly reworkings of previously recorded material, the tracks pulse with fresh vigour, right from the opening 'Spark of Life'\/'Sudovian Dance', balancing delicacy and exuberance over a tidal surge of bass and drums. There's a similarly powerful current to 'Night Train to You' while the ballad 'Austin' radiates a winsome melodic delicacy. The Police's 'Message in a Bottle' certainly travels, and with irresistible and ominous drive, a springy bass break spelling out the tune before piano whirrs back in, giving way to a boisterous drum solo before things subside in a sort of Morse code signaling from all three.\u003cbr\u003e Jim Gilchrist, The Scotsman\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhat's displayed on the long awaited 'Live', documenting a 2016 performance at the Jazz Middelheim festival in Antwerp, Belgium is a telepathy and intimacy of three musicians so comfortable with the music they can take it anywhere, whether it's floating as gracefully as a night mist or with pulsating drive.  For first time listeners of the trio, the recording is a treat and entry into a polished mode of operation and for long time fans, they can sink into the extended readings. […] 'Live' is a satisfying, magisterial performance from the Marcin Wasilewski Trio. The pianist flows forward with twinkling streams of ideas that move in and out of the excellent accompaniment of his band mates that allow the tunes to expand, contract, and adopt intriguing contours.\u003cbr\u003e CJ Shearn, Jazz Views\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e DESCRIPTION\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003e\"Wasilewski's music celebrates a vast dynamic range, from the most deftly struck pianistic delicacies to gloriously intense emotional exuberance, the chords pounded with unrestrained joy, yet always within a marvelously melodic concept.\"\u003cbr\u003e Jazz Journal \u003cbr\u003eFollowers of the Marcin Wasilewski Trio have long clamored for a live album. The Polish group made this one \"by accident\", unaware that their August 2016 performance at Jazz Middelheim in Antwerp had been recorded by the festival. On listening, they felt that it captured the soul of things rather well, \"maybe because there was no awareness of playing to the microphone.\" Unselfconsciously dynamic and outgoing, the trio draws an enthusiastic response from the audience.  \"Being out in front of an audience of 4,000 doesn't change your playing or your skills,\" Marcin Wasilewski reflects, \"but with a crowd of this size you have to project more energy. You can hear that in this recording.\" Bassist Sławomir Kurkiewicz adds, \"I think this album nicely captures what we have developed over the years in the live playing, and the way that the music can change in concert. It's an important document for us.\" \u003cbr\u003eFor the Wasilewski Trio, studio and live are complementary experiences.  \"Studio work is quite a hermetic process,\" says Marcin. \"It's where we try to get optimal, compact, condensed versions of the pieces. And live work has to do with adjusting the flow and communicating with an audience. We like both aspects.\" \u003cbr\u003eRepertoire on Live is drawn largely from the program developed for Spark of Life, the group's 2013 collaboration with saxophonist Joakim Milder, now presented in extended and cranked-up versions for piano trio. Spark of Life's title track flows seamlessly into “Sudovian Dance” at the start of the album. Other Wasilewski originals here are “Three Reflections”, “Austin” (with particularly graceful solos by Sławomir and Marcin) and “Night Train To You” (first heard on 2011's Faithful) which works up a tremendous head of steam.  \"Actual Proof\" effectively translates the energy and percolating rhythms of this Herbie Hancock piece (written for the movie The Spook Who Sat By The Door and further developed on 1974's Thrust) into the acoustic context – a powerhouse performance by Marcin Wasilewski, Sławomir Kurkiewicz and Michał Miśkiewicz. The trio members count Hancock among their formative influences. \u003cbr\u003e\"Message In A Bottle\" belongs to the trio's adaptations of pop material; they've previously recorded pieces by Björk and Prince. \"Message\" was also on Spark of Life, but their involvement with the old Police hit goes back much further, to the earliest days of the trio at the Koszalin high school, circa 1990. When they first broached it, Marcin recalls, Sławomir was playing guitar. \"That was before my time,\" laughs drummer Miskiewicz who joined the band in 1993, completing what has become one of the most stable line-ups in modern jazz.  Listening to Live it is impossible to miss the deep musical empathy of the players, the quality that The Guardian called \"their ability to pick up and amplify each other's thoughts\" – it's the kind of improvisational communication that can only be developed over time. \u003cbr\u003eMarcin Wasilewski, Sławomir Kurkiewicz and Michał Miśkiewicz first recorded for ECM as members of Tomasz Stanko's quartet on the album Soul of Things (2001), soon followed by Suspended Night (2003) and Lontano (2005).  Previous ECM albums in trio format are Trio (2004), January (2007) and Faithful (2011), with Swedish saxophonist Joakim Milder joining them for Spark of Life (2013).  All three trio members appear on Forever Young (2013) with Jacob Young and Trygve Seim, and Wasilewski and Kurkiewicz also play on Manu Katche's Neighborhood (2004) and Playground (2007).\u003cbr\u003e The Wasilewski Trio is touring widely this autumn, with concerts in Poland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Croatia and Luxembourg. For details of dates visit www.ecmrecords.com\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527809044821,"sku":"Live, Marcin Wasilewski Trio","price":38.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-Live-Marcin-Wasilewski-Trio-viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545709"},{"product_id":"ecm-records-the-other-side-tord-gustavsen-trio-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, The Other Side, Tord Gustavsen Trio, vinyl record","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"This is the chill-out as a state of grace, and it can go as deep as you like. Sublime,\" wrote the Independent on Sunday of the Gustavsen's trio's Being There, released in 2007. Over the last decade Tord has explored other ensemble forms and formats, but on The Other Side - recorded at Oslo's Rainbow Studio in January 2018 - he opens a new chapter in his piano trio story, with faithful drummer Jarle Vespestad, and excellent new bassist Sigurd Hole. Hole's approach to his instrument, drawing on folk influences as well as modern jazz, is ideally suited to Gustavsen's slowly-developing, deeply melodic pieces. The album, produced by Manfred Eicher, is issued on the eve of a major tour.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Artists\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Tord Gustavsen Trio\u003cbr\u003e Tord Gustavsen\u003cbr\u003e Piano\u003cbr\u003e Sigurd Hall\u003cbr\u003e Double Bass\u003cbr\u003e Jarle Vespestad\u003cbr\u003e Drums\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRecorded\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e January 2018, Rainbow Studio, Oslo\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Release Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 31.08.2018\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e 1 The Tunnel\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 06:02\u003cbr\u003e 2 Kirken, den er et gammelt hus \u003cbr\u003e(Ludvig Mathias Lindeman)\u003cbr\u003e 05:13\u003cbr\u003e 3 Re-Melt\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 05:15\u003cbr\u003e 4 Duality\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 04:35\u003cbr\u003e 5 Ingen vinner frem til den evige ro\u003cbr\u003e (Traditional)\u003cbr\u003e 03:50\u003cbr\u003e 6 Taste And See\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 03:13\u003cbr\u003e 7 Sleep Brother\u003cbr\u003e (Johann Sebastian Bach)\u003cbr\u003e 04:51\u003cbr\u003e 8 Jesu, meine Freude \/ Jesus, det enste\u003cbr\u003e (Johann Sebastian Bach, Traditional)\u003cbr\u003e 04:27\u003cbr\u003e 9 The Other Side\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 03:23\u003cbr\u003e 10 Oh Sadness\u003cbr\u003e (Johann Sebastian Bach)\u003cbr\u003e 03:31\u003cbr\u003e 11 Left Over Lullaby No.4\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 02:26\u003cbr\u003e 12 Curves\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 06:19\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e MEDIA REACTIONS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen returns to a trio lineup with the sometimes swinging and hip, more often tiptoeingly gospelly 'The Other Side'.\u003cbr\u003e John Fordham, The Guardian\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eLike a dusty, Southern gothic novel, Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen opens his return to the trio format with the moody, enigmatic 'The Tunnel.' All his compositions on 'The Other Side' bare their secrets slowly and play out their methodically expressionistic hauntings with a gospel-influenced left hand seemingly rooted thousands of miles away in the muddy Louisiana delta. […] Gustavsen brings all he's learned in the interim years, playing with fiddlers and Iranian musicians, to his writing. 'Re-Melt' is powered by the pianist's melodic insistence and Vespestad's understated groove. The atmospheric rumination of 'Taste and See,' 'Leftover Lullaby No. 4,' and the closing 'Curves' are simply beautiful, lyrical statements, taken at a pace that almost belies time.\u003cbr\u003e Mike Jurkovic, All About Jazz\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHymns, chants religieux des pays scandinaves, vieilles chansons populaires de Norvège sont depuis toujours les principals sources d’inspiration du pianist Tord Gustavsen don’t les albums aux melodies simples et dèpouillées sont étroitement associés à un parcours spirituel […] Sigurd Hole, convenant parfaitement au ralenti onirique de cette musique modale liturgique, possese un grand pouvoir de seduction melodique. Le silence y trouve refuge dans les phrases courtes et ramassees du pianiste qui caresse ses notes, recherche l'épure, ornemente a minima et va à l'essentiel.\u003cbr\u003e Pierre de Chocqueuse, Jazz Magazine\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e‚The Other Side' represents Gustavsen's first piano-trio disc as a leader in 10 years. The playing is spare and highly sensual, the approach being derived from the blues and gospel traditions so that, as Gustavsen himself has noted in the past, the tunes have the character of 'worldless hymns': indeed, along with the originals here, are settings of Bach chorales. The results are deeply romantic and sweetly hypnotic.\u003cbr\u003e Robert Shore, Jazzwise\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Magische Momente entstehen so, getragen von folkloreähnlichen Melodien, die bis auf eine Ausnahme keine Volksmusik aufarbeiten, sondern Gustavsens Vorstellungswelt entspringen.\u003cbr\u003e Werner Stiefele, Audio\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eUshering in autumn with grace is Norwegian pianist Gustavsen, whose talents shine on a mix of original compositions and arrangements of chorales including a groove-led take on Bach's 'Schlafes Bruder'. New double-bassist Sigurd Hole has a way with modal folk melodies. Longtime drummer Jarle Vespestad is a luminous presence; Gustavsen's dancing pianism makes the melodic 'Taste and See' a highlight.\u003cbr\u003e Jane Cornwell, Evening Standard\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There are no extravagances but plenty of utterly beautiful moments that take you to another dimension. The record is soulful and inspired, and Gustavsen and his bandmates are all refined musical taste, originality, and perception.\u003cbr\u003e Filipe Freitas, Jazz Trail\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The trio's ability to capture doubt, joy and anxiety with a few notes is breathtaking. And 'The Other Side' feels like a joyful hymn, as it glides through a seraphic melody, abruptly finishing on a minor chord. The last notes resonate, then fade gradually, almost imperceptibly.\u003cbr\u003e Andrew Jones, Downbeat\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThroughout this set, Gustavsen's intensely lyrical piano playing draws the listener into the heart of each piece; not the melodic center of the tune but the emotional core of the experience that the music conveys. Not a note is wasted, either from the piano or from Hole's richly elegant bass playing. […] As with the earlier trio recordings (back in the early 2000s), Gustavsen's arrangements cover a variety of musical sources. In this case, he has taken three chorales from Bach, a tune from Danish composer Danish Ludvig Lindeman and a traditional hymn and worked these into tunes that blend a jazz feel for swing with a folk ear for melody.  Equally apparent in the trio's playing is the way that Gustavsen has been working an approach to composition that is increasingly dependent on modal patterns, which gives the music a sense of breadth and helps emphasize the passion in even the quietest of moments.  No wonder that he has previously used the phrase 'Nordic blues' to capture his approach and sensibility of the music. Like the blues, there is something in the pieces that has a stoic melancholy but which ultimately gives a sense of joy. Absolutely marvelous. \u003cbr\u003eChris Baber, Jazz Views\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Pianist Tord Gustavsen returns with a reflective trio album that in the first half focuses on his own fully matured composer talents, while in the second half, he adapts JS Bach original pieces for a jazz context, and in the process offers something different to the long tried and tested Jacques Loussier approach. Bach is that most jazz-friendly of early classical composers and as such ripe for re-evaluation. […] another quality recording from Tord Gustavsen in trio format, and arguably the one that best suits his natural musical inclinations.\u003cbr\u003e Tim Stenhouse, UK Vibe\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eTord Gustavsen's fans will be delighted with this album, and those who discover him for the first time could not ask for a better introduction. 'The Other Side' is reminiscent of his formative albums 'The Ground' and 'Being There'. But while his phrasing and style has been maintained, some of the tango and flamenco themes that were evident in the music of his second and third albums have made way for themes that are more related to Nordic folk and religious hymns. […] 'The Other Side' is immense and is exceedingly highly recommended.\u003cbr\u003e Reuben Klein, The Ear\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEin Dutzend Stücke, darunter Neuarrangements eines dänischen Kirchenliedes aus dem 19. Jahrhundert und dreier Bachchoräle, belegen, wie tragfähig und betörend Gustavsens Triomusik geblieben ist. Eingeflossen sind die Spielerfahrungen der zurückliegenden Jahre als Solist und mit erweiterten Bands. Vielleicht ist diesmal eine Spur mehr Dynamik zu hören, doch wie hier auch weidenferden ganz nah bei den Essenzen geblieben wird, ist schlicht und ergreifend wunderschön.\u003cbr\u003e Ulrich Steinmetzger, Leipziger Volkszeitung\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Tord Gustavsen's subtle piano grooves continue to demonstrate his gently provocative approach, artfully juxtaposing elasticated treatments of Bach and a few traditional tunes with a selection of the pianist's original tunes on 'The Other Side'. The group makes all the music their own, but another notable attraction of this disc is actually the programming sequence: this feels unusually central to the overall package, so prod the shuffle button at your peril.\u003cbr\u003e Roger Thomas, BBC Music Magazine \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe new album retains what first drew so many people to Gustavsen: mesmerizing hush; sublimated urgency; spare melodic grace. It also reveals 11 years of creative evolution. […] In his sensitive, precise touch and his knowledge of how silence deepens melody, he has always been able to lay bare the most private emotions. When you listen to him, it is always a revelation to discover that those emotions have been felt by someone other than yourself.\u003cbr\u003e Thomas Conrad, Stereophile\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Another piano-led set but much more ethereal and meditative in character is The Other Side, a fine collection of pastel-hued chamber jazz by Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen and his trio.\u003cbr\u003e Charles Waring, Record Collector\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e DESCRIPTION\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003ePianist Tord Gustavsen began his ECM tenure with three trio albums, released from 2003 to 2007, that enjoyed a remarkable confluence of popular and critical success. JazzTimes described this trilogy as having the potency of \"distilled magic,\" while the Guardian stated \"Gustavsen's tunes are hypnotically strong, and the integration of bass and drums in his regular trio is total.\" In four further recordings for ECM over the past decade, Gustavsen explored the quartet format, as well as worked with an expanded ensemble and vocals. Now, for his return to trio with the album The Other Side, the Norwegian pianist has convened a new working group, which includes ever-faithful drummer Jarle Vespestad – a kindred spirit who has drummed on all of Gustavsen's albums. There is a new bassist, Sigurd Hole, whose eclectic approach to his instrument – ​​drawing on influences from folk music as well as modern jazz – makes him ideally suited to the pianist's gradually developing, melodic pieces. The Other Side incorporates Gustavsen's love for the church music of his village youth and the ancient folk melodies of Norway that have become a passion in more recent years. This mix of compositions and arrangements of chorales ranges from grave beauty to flowing dynamism, marked throughout by the trio's seemingly telepathic chemistry. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlong with being 11 years since Gustavsen's previous trio album, it has been seven years since the tragic early passing of the group's original bassist, Harald Johnsen. \"I didn't want to just continue the trio with another bassist,\" Gustavsen explains. \"Then the quartet I had with Jarle, saxophonist Tore Brunborg and bassist Mats Eilertsen felt so strong that it demanded its own cycles of recording and touring. After that, we did like to explore new songs with electronics and vocals. But following all this, it seemed like the time to bring the piano back as the lead voice. This new version of the trio feels in line with the initial group, even as it exists on another wavelength – it would have to, as it somehow includes all that came in between those first records and now. And, the trio represents Tord's passion for paradoxically uniting clarity and freedom.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe title of The Other Side reflects multiple ideas, it also refers to the trio as being another side of Gustavsen's music-making from the quartet and vocal explorations of recent years, not to mention his frequent side ventures with choirs, fiddle players and even Iranian musicians. \"Then there is also this idea in the title of the way the trio plays as being the other side of virtuosity, a kind of paradoxical virtuosity where you don't play all the notes you can but merely the notes that are really needed,\" he says. \"It's about subordinating your ego to the flow of the music – and that takes a kind of 'radical listening' – listen more than you play. That's a passion the three of us share.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eGustavsen arranged several chorales by Bach for the album, as well as one by 19th-century Danish composer, organist and folklorist Ludvig Mathias Lindeman. Bach's \"Schlafes Bruder\" has a deep groove led by Vespestad, while Lindeman's \"Kirken, den er et gammelt hus\" has a feel that's alternatively ruminative and rhapsodic, with an electronically shaded intro. \"We're interpreting the church music that I grew up with in an abstract way,\" the pianist explains.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eGustavsen composed the grooving \"Re-Melt\" and haunting \"Leftover Lullaby No. 4\" as divergent responses to the chorale arrangements. He originally wrote the gospel-tinged \"Tunnel\" and melodic highlight \"Taste and See\" for a literary festival in the mountains of northwest Norway, where the pieces were played in conjunction with readings; they evolved further as vehicles for the trio. The stately, blue-hued title track and ravishing “Curves” are original pieces that Gustavsen composed at soundchecks on quartet tours, inspired by how the other group members were responding musically to his ideas; the seeds of the quietly atmospheric \"Duality\" were also sown in that way, but the track ended up as a mostly free improvisation in the studio.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAlways subtle and lyrical, Gustavsen's pianism has evolved in recent years to incorporate more modal playing, moving beyond chord changes; through his quartet work and his early experiences as a solo performer, his blending of composition and improvisation has also become freer, more seamless. Both of his trio mates have sensual sounds that complement his own. Sigurd Hole has a lyrical bent on bass, although his arco playing can be expressively percussive. \"Sigurd also has a natural way of injecting modal Norwegian folk melodies into the music that makes the group's connection to these roots stronger,\" Gustavsen points out. \"The old Norwegian lullabies and dance forms find their way in now almost without us thinking about it.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eGustavsen and Vespestad, musical soul mates, have played hundreds of concerts together. \"Early on, in our playing of ballads, we discovered this sense of micro-timing, and loaded minimalism – the feeling that the less we play, the stronger it gets – and this sense has evolved ever since. Now, we are also stretching out and using more dynamics, but this fundamental experience of 'essence' and reduction is always our point of departure. Jarle can groove in such an understated way and play so quietly that all the timbres of the piano can be That said, he has such technical ability. It's fascinating that beyond his groups, he often plays complex music with a lot of volume and noise. A funny thing is that he's so attuned to the trio's music that I can often hear him humming the melody and something that, as a composer, I find touching.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\"I like to analyze and break things down in music, of course, but first and foremost, it's about touching people in the way that I like to be touched in music,\" Gustavsen concludes. \"That's the most meaningful part of all this for me, being moved and moving others.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Other Side was recorded at Oslo's Rainbow Studio in January 2018 with Manfred Eicher producing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e CONCERTS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eYEAR DATE VENUE LOCATION\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2025 November 21 Monheimer Kulturwerke Monheim, Germany\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527829131605,"sku":"The Other Side, Tord Gustavsen Trio","price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-The-Other-Side-Tord-Gustavsen-Trio-viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545714"},{"product_id":"ecm-records-barzakh-anouar-brahem-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, Barzakh Anouar Brahem, vinyl record","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Artists\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Anouar Brahem\u003cbr\u003e Oud\u003cbr\u003e Bechir Selmi\u003cbr\u003e Violin\u003cbr\u003e Lassad Hosni\u003cbr\u003e Percussion\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRecorded\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e September 1990, Rainbow Studio, Oslo\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Release Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 01.04.1991\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e 1 Raf Raf\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 03:33\u003cbr\u003e 2 Barzakh\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem, Bechir Selmi)\u003cbr\u003e 11:02\u003cbr\u003e 3 Sadir\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 06:32\u003cbr\u003e 4 Ronda\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 03:07 \u003cbr\u003e5 How\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 01:33\u003cbr\u003e 6 Sarandib\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 02:48\u003cbr\u003e 7 Souga\u003cbr\u003e (Lassad Hosni)\u003cbr\u003e 02:07\u003cbr\u003e 8 Parfum De Gitane\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 04:16\u003cbr\u003e 9 Bou Naouara\u003cbr\u003e (Lassad Hosni)\u003cbr\u003e 02:22\u003cbr\u003e 10 Kerkenah\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 07:30\u003cbr\u003e 11 The Night of Eyes\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 05:29\u003cbr\u003e 12 Le Belvédère Assiége\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 04:14\u003cbr\u003e 13 Qaf\u003cbr\u003e (Anouar Brahem)\u003cbr\u003e 01:43\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e CONCERTS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eYEAR DATE VENUE LOCATION\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 18 Le Rocher de Palmer Cenon, France\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 23 Philharmonie Berlin, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 24 Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht, Netherlands\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 25 ECM Explorations- Philharmonie Paris, France\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 26 ECM Explorations- Philharmonie Paris, France\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 27 off Beat Festival Basel, Switzerland\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 29 Auditorium Maurice-Ravel de Lyon Lyon, France\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 30 Bozar Bruxelles, Belgium\u003cbr\u003e 2025 May 01 Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Germany \u003cbr\u003e2025 May 02 Isarphilharmonie Munich, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 May 03 de Roma Antwerp, Belgium\u003cbr\u003e 2025 November 08 EnjoyJazz Festival-Christuskirche Mannheim, Germany\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527849644373,"sku":"Barzakh Anouar Brahem","price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-Barzakh-Anouar-Brahem-viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545720"},{"product_id":"ecm-records-big-vicious-avishai-cohen-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, Big Vicious, Avishai Cohen, vinyl record","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCharismatic trumpeter Avishai Cohen launched his exuberant, home-grown band Big Vicious six years ago, after relocating from the US to his native Israel, rounding up players to shape the music from the ground up, and co-authoring much of his newest material together with them.  The group is an association of old friends. \"We're all coming from jazz, but some of us left it earlier\", Avishai says, summing up the stylistic reach of his cohorts. \"Everyone's bringing in their backgrounds, and that becomes part of the sound of the band.\"  Textures from electronica, ambient music and psychedelia are part of the blend, so too grooves and beats from rock, pop, trip-hop and more. A wide-open approach to cover versions is also integral to the Vicious vision. Recorded in Studios La Buissonne in the South of France in August 2019 and produced by Manfred Eicher, Big Vicious's debut album is issued as the band gears up for extensive international touring.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Artists\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBig Vicious\u003cbr\u003e Avishai Cohen\u003cbr\u003e Trumpet, Electronics\u003cbr\u003e Uzi Ramirez\u003cbr\u003e Guitar\u003cbr\u003e Yonatan Albalak\u003cbr\u003e Bass\u003cbr\u003e Aviv Cohen\u003cbr\u003e Drums\u003cbr\u003e Ziv Ravitz\u003cbr\u003e Drums, Electronics\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRecorded\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e August 2019, Studios La Buissonne, Pernes les Fontaines\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Release Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 27.03.2020\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e 1 Honey Fountain\u003cbr\u003e (Avishai Cohen, Aviv Cohen, Uzi Ramirez, Yonatan Albalak, Yuvi Havkin)\u003cbr\u003e 04:34\u003cbr\u003e 2 Hidden Chamber\u003cbr\u003e (Avishai Cohen)\u003cbr\u003e 04:42\u003cbr\u003e 3 King Kutner\u003cbr\u003e (Avishai Cohen)\u003cbr\u003e 04:10\u003cbr\u003e 4 Moonlight Sonata\u003cbr\u003e (Ludwig van Beethoven)\u003cbr\u003e 05:30\u003cbr\u003e 5 Fractals\u003cbr\u003e (Avishai Cohen, Aviv Cohen, Uzi Ramirez, Yonatan Albalak, Yuvi Havkin)\u003cbr\u003e 03:33\u003cbr\u003e 6 Teardrop\u003cbr\u003e (Andrew Vowles, Elizabeth Fraser, Grantley Marshall, Robert Del Naja)\u003cbr\u003e 07:24\u003cbr\u003e 7 The Things You Tell Me\u003cbr\u003e (Avishai Cohen)\u003cbr\u003e 03:11\u003cbr\u003e 8 This Time It's Different\u003cbr\u003e (Avishai Cohen, Aviv Cohen, Uzi Ramirez, Yonatan Albalak)\u003cbr\u003e 03:20\u003cbr\u003e 9 Teno Neno\u003cbr\u003e (Avishai Cohen, Aviv Cohen, Uzi Ramirez, Yonatan Albalak, Yuvi Havkin)\u003cbr\u003e 06:03\u003cbr\u003e 10 The Cow \u0026amp; The Calf\u003cbr\u003e (Avishai Cohen, Aviv Cohen, Uzi Ramirez, Yonatan Albalak)\u003cbr\u003e 03:55\u003cbr\u003e 11 Intent\u003cbr\u003e (Avishai Cohen)\u003cbr\u003e 04:03\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e MEDIA REACTIONS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eDie Art, wie der Trompeter und sein Team den Appeal der Gegenwart in ein Album packen, ist faszinierend. Denn auf der einen Seite steht die Soundwelt des Indierocks mit choruslastigen Gitarren, zuweilen eienr herberen Verzerrung, mit stoischen, aber trocken kraftvollen Beats und einer hörbaren Attitude im Spiel, bei der immer ein wenig Mittelfinger mitschwingt. Auf der anderen Seite hat Cohen einen klaren, strahlenden, jazzgeschulten Ton, eine komentierende Erzählhaltung […] 'Big Vicious' ist daher ein Leuchtturmalbum, mit Trompete, zwei Gitarren und zwei Schlagzeugern szenengerecht hipsteraffin besetzt. Es ist aber eben auch ein enorm präsentes, aus der Mitte des urbanen Klang- und Stilbewusstseins der Gegenwart aufsteigendes Projekt, das Jazz auf beiläufige Art aus der Nische holt. Und damit weit nach vorne weist.\u003cbr\u003e Ralf Dombrowski, Stereoplay\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBisher kannte und schätzte man ihn als einen sehr ökonomisch und sensibel phrasierenden Vertreter der Miles-Davis-Schule; nun umgibt er sich mit zwei dröhnenden Rockgitarren, von denen eine fäktiv herabsteigt das Bassregister, mit elektronischen Klangblasen, mit dem mächtigen Puls von zwei Schlagzeugen, und lässt im Gestus einer Jamsession die Musik seiner Jugend wieder aufleben: Mahavishnu, Beethoven, Massive Attack. Big Vicious is eine Band alter Freunde, die Cohen wiederbelebte als er vor eight Jahren von New York zurück nach Tel Aviv zog. Der Trompeter ist in den ausgedehnten Improvisationen des Quintetts der unumstritene Frontmann, seine Trompete die Sängerin, die dem Ganzen Halt und Kraft gibt.\u003cbr\u003e Stefan Hentz, Zeit Online\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWie soll man den überirdischen Klassiker 'Teardrop' von Massive Attack neu interpretieren, ohne dass es unangenehm oder peinlich wird? Eigentlich nicht machbar. Es sei denn, man heißt Avishai Cohen, ist eine Koryphäe an der Trompete und macht es einfach. […] Neben Jazz vemengen sie auf 'Big Vicious' Einflüsse aus Electronica, Ambient und Trip-Hop. Das Werk besteht aus ingeschäft elf Stücken, darunter auch tolle Neuinterpretationen – wie das eben genannte 'Teardrop' und Beethovens 'Moonlight Sonata'.\u003cbr\u003e André Habermann, Neolyd\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMit einem Sound, der an Radiohead erächtigt, wicht Cohens verklärter Trompetenton das Pendant zu Thom Yorkes Stimme, ist schließen sie zugleich an die Philosophie einiger stilprägender ECM-Alben aus den 1970er und 1980er Jahren an. Es mag paradox klingen, aber gerade in der Rückbesinnung auf klassische Jazzrockwerte in Kombination mit Haltungen aus Ambient, Alternative Rock und Trip-Hop schaffen sie Perspektiven für die Zukunft. Man braucht kein Jazzhörer zu sein, um sich auf die progressive-meditativen Klanglandschaften des Quintetts einzulassen. Und die hingebungsvolle Version von Massive Attacks 'Teardrop' ist ein Kunstwerk, das eigene Maßstäbe setz.\u003cbr\u003e Wolf Kampmann, Eclipsed\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eTrumpeter\/composer Avishai Cohen gives another solid step towards innovation with the consistent group he formed six years ago, after moving back from the US to his native Israel. The eclectic album, 'Big Vicious', is the successor to the duo's recording 'Playing The Room' and marks his fourth outing on the reliable ECM imprint. The electro-acoustic ensemble, which includes two drummers, delivers a program of nine originals and two covers. Despite their backgrounds in jazz, these open-minded artists experiment with different sonic flavors and the outcome is more than satisfactory. […] 'The Cow \u0026amp; The Calf' boasts some of the trip-hop charisma of Portishead and a strong singable chorus, but remains one step behind the incredible rendition of Massive Attack's hit 'Teardrop'. The group also probes ways of bringing new light into Beethoven's classical music by dissecting his 'Moonlight Sonata' according to their own methods. Revealing himself a musical chameleon, Avishai Cohen deserves acclaim for this exciting work. \u003cbr\u003eFilipe Freitas, Jazz Trail\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Cohen sorgt in diesem Spiel für Balance und die Sahnehäubchen: Auf seiner Trompete streut er melodische Floskeln ein und Linien, die in ihrer Openheit und dem unaufgeregten Atem, den er ihnen verleiht, eher an Hooklines und Gesangslinien von Rocksongs erinnern als an die Achtel- und Sechzehntelketten über die ewig gleichen Standardharmonien.  Der Miles Davis in der Phase von 'Bitches Brew' mag als Referenz für dieses Gebräu dienen oder auch Nils Petter Molvær.\u003cbr\u003e Stefan Hentz, Jazzthing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Cohen ist bei Big Vicious der Frontmann, seine Trompete gibt den Ton an. Bei 'Teardrop', einem Nachspiel des Songs von Massive Attack, ist es sogar, als sänge die Trompete – frei, abschweifend, voller Blues-Töne. […] ein famoses Jazzalbum, aufgelanden mit viel Strom.\u003cbr\u003e Oliver Creutz, Stern\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDer Ansatz reminds in der Mischung aus Post-Punk-Rock und Groove mit freierer und jazzig komplexer Grundierung ein bisschen an die norwegische Post-Jazz-Fusion-Zene: Cohens Trompete zieht mit kleinen solistischen Ausflügen und Höhenflügen die Melodie in die Tracks, während verschwimmend bewerbeitete Gitarren und Keyboards, dunkle Basse und sichelnde Percussion unruhige, zärtliche oder undurchsichtige Atmosferen erschaffen. Ein anschmiegsames, elegantes Experiment.\u003cbr\u003e Markus Schneider, Rolling Stone (German Edition)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Das Kunstvolle an diesen elektroakustischen Klanggebilden ist ihre Reduziertheit. Nur ein Soundskelett ist zu hören. Dem setz Trompeter Cohen mit makellosem Ton funkelnde Glanzlichter auf.\u003cbr\u003e Markus Mayer, Bayerischer Rundfunk\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIt's a surprisingly refreshing affair, although anyone seeking the subtle, sensitive Avishai Cohen of recent ECM outings will need to be very open-minded about this one. The character and clarity of the trumpeter's playing hasn't changed though, it's just in a very different setting this time around. […] The album is made up of co-written originals, Cohen originals, Tel-Aviv musician-producer Rejoicer originals, and covers; most notably Massive Attack's 'Teardrop'. There's a fascinating cohesion to the music that suggests the band fit together particularly well as musicians, sharing a similar post-jazz vibe that allows the band to take improvisation into a new world of melodic pop-tinged electronica. […] Big Vicious is an intriguing mix of an album. It grows on you the more you listen.\u003cbr\u003e Mike Gates, UK Vibe\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSi certains titres se nourissent en effet d'une ènergie brute venue du punk, de la new wave ou de l'électro, on est surtout frappe par la richesse des nuances, le sens de la dramaturgie et l'amour du détail don't témoigne une production exemplar (merci Manfred Eicher!), faisant son miel du mariage de sonorités acoustiques, électriques et électroniques. Dans cette musique se développant de manière organique à partir de compositions souvent collectives, la trompette officie à la manière d'un chanteur, les autres membres de groupe s'attachant avant tout à créer un context, une atmosphère propice à son expression.\u003cbr\u003e Pascal Rozat, Jazz Magazine\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDer Trompeter sett die unusual Besetzung immens effektiv ein. Das doppelte Drumset ergibt mehr Volumen und rhythmischen Antrieb, durch die Nuancierungen mit viel Human Touch. Die zwei Gitarren changieren zwischen schwebendem Indierock, einer Prise Folkjazz, flirrend und irisierend, mehr Texturen als Improvisationen im Blick. Und Cohens Trompete setts sich either melodiös komentierend oder klar und kraftvoll strahlend auf dieses Soundgeflecht. This is how Musik is born, which is rooted in Jazz, but is also played.\u003cbr\u003e Ralf Dombrowski, Audio\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Enormer Drive und zarte Melancholie, mitreißende Grooves und effektvolle Überraschungen, ein breites Spektrum an Sound-Farben und Stimogen (der Leader werkelt auch am Synthie) und ein bestechender Bandsound, auf den Avishai Cohen sein jeder Lage unter die Haut gehendes Trompetenspiel betten kann - das alles macht 'Big Vicious' zu einem Album mit höchstem Suchtpotential. Ist einfach nicht mehr aus dem Player zu kriegen!\u003cbr\u003e Peter Füssl, Culture\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOn his fourth date for ECM, trumpeter Avishai Cohen leads a band he formed with friends after returning to Israel in 2013. The electro-acoustic ensemble includes guitarists Uzi Ramirez and Yonatan Albalak (also on electric bass) and drummers Aviv Cohen and Ziv Ravitz (who also did the live studio sampling); they deliver a program of nine originals and two covers. It is easily the most accessible album of Cohen's career thus far, in that it will likely appeal to listeners not normally drawn to jazz. There are several reasons for this. First is that Cohen's writing is songlike. The melodies are often hummable and there are many different stylistic forays into psychedelic rock, R\u0026amp;B and funk, Hebrew folk, and sound system electronica. […] This band is one to keep an eye on if you have catholic tastes. Big Vicious wanders freely between its many influences to emerge with a compelling identity of its own.\u003cbr\u003e Thom Jurek, All Music\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe music is both improvised and carefully arranged, and jazz is only one of the strains running through it and on which it's based, along with rock, trip-hop, electronica, and more. An echoed synthesizer note in 'Honey Fountain' leads to a muted guitar chord from Ramirez and a solidly thumped bass line from Albalak. Aviv Cohen pulls the song together with a rock backbeat as Avishai states the melody line clearly on trumpet. Ramirez switches to arpeggios, adding chorus and delay for an airy quality. This track is both ambient and swinging […] , I found Big Vicious gaining in power and depth the more I listened. The interaction among the musicians, and their use of dynamics and sound effects, give the music a daring and a force that keeps it from slipping into a too-relaxed, 'ambient' experience. […] Big Vicious is a good first entry in a discography that could have the impact and longevity of that of a band like Weather Report, taking jazz into new places within a more tightly structured approach to the music. \u003cbr\u003eJoseph Taylor, Sound Stage Access\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Elf zauber- und rätselhafte Texturen aus Ambient, Psychedelia, Electronica, Pop, Trip-Hop, Beats und Grooves, angereichert durch Avishais Farbenspielereien mit dem Synthesizer. Ein Wechselspiel der Kontraste mit Verblüffenden Wirkungen.\u003cbr\u003e Reinhard Köchl, Augsburger Allgemeine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Seine Home-Band is electronically generated. Sie lässt Ambient-Jazz, Rock-Energie und Trip-Hop-Grooves verschmelzen und mit Raffinesse. Cohen blast lange Linien, melancholisch und gelassen.\u003cbr\u003e Pirmin Bossart, Kulturtipp\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe material covered on the nine tracks is taken from a wide-open approach, from originals to arrangements of Massive Attack to Beethoven. 'Honey Fountain' builds methodically as each musician layers in until Cohen begins the melody. The presence of two drummers can be felt, adding to the rhythmic interest and energy. The relaxed interaction between Cohen's warm trumpet and Albalak's guitar colors is outstanding. The electronica influence can be heard in subtle sounds that float in, but never subtract from the calming energy and acoustic nature of the ensemble. 'Teardrop' is built around Cohen's smooth trumpet style that contains just enough reverb to give his sound and ambient color without diluting his beautiful tone. Aviv and Ziv also create colors on their drum sets by using mallets and reverb effects. The fluidity of each player's use of electronic sounds to enhance the overall soundscape adds to the feel and sonic color. 'Moonlight Sonata' is given a distinctive electronica coloring. Albalak and Ramirez both create impressive sounds using their pedals and their instruments. Cohen states the melody in a very recognizable manner as the rest of the ensemble plays with sonic pastels. When not playing the trumpet, Cohen continues to add to the tapestry by triggering sounds. The overall result of Big Vicious is an adventure in contemporary sounds influenced by today's music brought to life by an ensemble with deep improvisational skills in both performing their respective instruments, but also in creating meaningful electronic sounds that contribute to the music. \u003cbr\u003eSteph Cosme, Staccatofy\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAfter proving himself one of his generation's most gifted acoustic jazz stylists, the Tel Aviv native takes a major detour with Big Vicious, also the name of his new quintet. Joined by two drummers and two electric guitarists, Cohen draws from rock, pop, funk, electronica and ambient music for a blend that casts a net outside of jazz while remaining firmly within its value set – like a trip-hop take on seventies fusion.  Although the melodies come first here, rather than solos, the band still relies on improvisation to put them across, making each track feel as if you're hearing the music unfold for the first time. […] Cohen brings the same silvery tone and inherent lyricism to this project as he does to his more traditional jazz work. Whether he's riding the funky groove of 'This Time It's Different,' piercing the clouds of the psychedelic 'Honey Fountain,' or contributing to the romantic haze of 'The Things You Tell Me,' Cohen connects deeply with each track, weaving himself into the spells cast by his bandmates. The musicians' choices of cover tunes indicate how wide a net they prefer to cast – Massive Attack's 'Teardrop' seems right in line with Big Vicious' surface values, but the version of Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' is a surprising gamble that works out even better. Arguably, the whole album is a leap of faith, given Cohen's deserved reputation, and lands Big Vicious solidly on its feet. \u003cbr\u003eMike Toland, The Big Takeover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The premier album of the charismatic trumpeter Avishai Cohen with his group Big Vicious is an amazing cocktail of sonorous textures from electronic music venues, ambient and psychedelic music sequences, as well as grooves and rhythms borrowed from rock, pop or trip-hop. Des thèmes du répertoire – de Massive Attack à Beethoven – en versions décalées et personales font également partie intégrante de la vision de ce 'Big Vicious' sorti chez ECM.\u003cbr\u003e Alex Dutilh, France Musique\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEnregistré à Tel-Aviv, Big Vicious rassemble onse titres dont trois coécrits avec ses musicians (un guitariste, un bassiste et deux batteurs) et deux reprises remarquables. The premiere is 'Moonlight Sonata', borrowed from a certain Ludwig Van Beethoven, qui n'était pas la moitié d'un sourd nor d'un mélodiste, la seconde est 'Teardrop', un des chef-d'œuvre de Massive Attack (on 'Mezzanine'), que les six musicians font leur avec une insolence teintée de respect pour la meilleure thinge que Bristol a generée depuis l'invention du carton d'invitation. Avishai Cohen excelle également dans les plages en pente douce ('Honey Fountain' , 'Hidden Chamber' ,'The Things You Tell Me' ), qu'il dégringole dans le delay et la reverb. Big Vicious et lui ne sont pas moins bons lorsqu'ils tutoient le bizarre 'The Cow \u0026amp; The Calf', 'Fractals' ), ​​se la jouent plus rock que jazz ('King Kutner' ) ou se complaisent dans une sorte d'ambient que même Brian Eno trouverait déconcertante. Amateur de Miles Davis comme tous les joueurs de son instrument qui se respectent, Cohen le rappelle dans cet Intent à base d'harmonies irréelles si fertiles, que le cool pourrait y renaître. \u003cbr\u003eJérôme Soligny, Rock \u0026amp; Folk\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Avishai Cohen (..) opère avec Big Vicious un virage magistral vers le jazz électrifié. On y entendra des pulsations reggae dub encore, l'écho de Miles Davis aussi – son maître à jouer. Toutes compositions originales captivantes. Ainsi qu'une étonnante relecture du premier mouvement de la sonata n° 14, dite 'au clair de lune', by Beethoven. An album particularly successful, particularly addictive.\u003cbr\u003e Fabrice Gottraux, Tribune de Généve\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAprès des opus aux nuances méditatives chez ECM, dont le magnifique 'Into the Silence' de 2016, le musician ravive la flamme plus remuante de son projet Big Vicious.Avec deux guitares et deux batteries et un lot d'effets, cet enregistrement change le registere de celui que l'on sait adaptable à toutes sortes d'environnements - chez le saxophonist Mark Turner notably. S'il garde des plages contemplatives, Avishai Cohen change le son,quitte à le monter, avec deux reprises inattendues: Beethoven et Massive Attack.\u003cbr\u003e Boris Senff, 24 Hours\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAudacieux mélange, mais la trompette somptueuse de Cohen et la rythmique endiablée de ses accompagnateurs en font, sur la plupart des morceaux, une réussite: le solaire 'Honey Fountain' ouvre l'album en jouant sur le charme, 'King Kutner' et 'This Time is Different' pulsent comme autant de coups de cœur, la 'Moonlight Sonata' ressemble à un joli wink d'œil pour l'année Beethoven, quand 'Teardrop' frappe par sa profondeur sonore, l'aérien Intent finissant en beauté ce brillant et déroutant mélange d'ambiances.\u003cbr\u003e Henri Gibier, Les Echos\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAußer dem Spiel von eigenen Stücken belegen Big Vicious auch ihre Openheit für unführliche Coverversionen, so gibt es eine ghosthaft anmutige 'Mondscheinsonate' und das unsterbliche 'Teardrop' von Massive attack. So stellt die Band reizvolle Kontraste her, in denen sie Rhythmen und Klangfarben zueinander fugt, um einmal wild, ein anddermal sanft melodisch, dabei immer voller Klaheit zu agieren. Nach dem besinnlichen 'Playing The Room', das Cohen vor zwei Jahren für ECM aufnahm, durchten seine Hörer Big Vicious wohl als große Überraschung empfinden. Doch die ist ihm gelungen, beeindrucken er und seine Band doch mit kraftvoller Dynamik wie charaktervoller Entschlossenheit.\u003cbr\u003e Olaf Maikopf, Jazzthetik\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Weniger Improvisation steht im Vordergrund als die Entwicklung eines Bandsounds. Entstanden ist eine atmospheric, melodiöse Musik jenseits aller stylitischen Einordnungen. Even Beethoven ist kein Fremdkörper.\u003cbr\u003e Stefan Künzli, Aargauer Zeitung\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEinen musikalischen Bogen von Beethoven über Miles Davis bis hin zu Pearl Jam zu spannen, ist eigentlich unmöglich. Der israelische Trompeter Avishai Cohen schafft dieses Kunststück. Auf 'Big Vicous', dem Debütalbum seiner gleichnamigen Band, begeistert der Jazzmusiker aus Tel Aviv mit einer imponierenden, stilübergreifenden Fusionmusik, die so noch nicht zu hören war. Fusion – damit verbindet man normally ausufernde Soli, einen Hang zu hohler Virtuosität. All dies ist bei Big Vicious nicht zu hören. Das Quintett, an Gitarre (respectively Bass) und Schlagzeug doppelt besetzt, spielt vielmehr zeitgenössischen Jazz im compacten Stil einer Indie-Rockband. Mit dreibis fünfminütigen Stücken, die klingen wie Songs ohne Sänger Und statt in Improvisationsschlachten auszuarten, verdichten sie sich zu atmosphärischen Stimmungsbildern. […] die Arrangements von Big Vicious sind raffiniert und ausgefeilt. Oft weben die Gitarren dichte Texturen, die Schlagmuster von Aviv Cohen und Ziv Ravitz sind mal polyrhythmisch spannungsvoll gegeneinander gesetzt, oder sie entzünden in minimalen Reibungen electrisierende Funken. Das Ganze ist aufregende Kollektivmusik. \u003cbr\u003eGeorg Spindler, Mannheimer Morgen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There's a lot to listen to here. Electronica, ambient and psychedelic influences. Two drummers, with the robust rhythms of Aviv Cohen offset by the jazzier Ziv Ravitz. And two guitarists, Uzi Ramirez and Yonatan Albalak, the latter also on bass. The leader doubles on synthesizers and Ravitz on sampling. Yet instead of overwhelming, this rich blend intensifies as its elements accumulate, lurking in reserve. Much of it is virtually pop, but none the worse for it. 'King Kutner' is built on Albalak's ominous surf-rock bass groove, over which the electric guitar, synth and trumpet play riffs of resistance. On Massive Attack's 'Teardrop' the trumpet assumes the role of lead singer, with all the band butting in on a trance-like break.\u003cbr\u003e Chris Pearson, The Times\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFor the fourth album bearing his name for ECM, Cohen debuts an exciting new quintet project, Big Vicious. The quintet, made up of the leader on trumpet, effects and synthesizer, guitarist Uzi Ramirez, guitarist and bassist Jonathan Albalak, and the double drum tandem of Aviv Cohen and Ziv Ravitz on drums and live sampling, an all Israeli group bring a powerful and potent combination… acoustic and electric hybrid music with slamming grooves, textures reaching the cosmos and some tight rope walking improvisation that is a very distinct and personal blend.  The group had been playing much of the music on the road for some time, playing the originals here and covers such as Massive Attack's trip hop classic 'Teardrop' part of a stream of music which all had grown up on.  The mix of jazz and electronic proclivities is a result of all their collective experience and was tightened in the studio at producer Manfred Eicher's suggestion which distilled the music to its essence considerably.  Each player in the group brings their experiences of jazz and elsewhere, and the notion of soloing is less important than overall feeling and textures. \u003cbr\u003eCJ Shearn, Jazzviews with CJ\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Big Vicious' ist ein melodisch-melancholisches Album geworden, Musik für die blaue Stunde, unaufgeregt, aber vielschichtig und trotz aller Experimentierfreude tief im Jazz verwurzelt.\u003cbr\u003e Holger True, Hamburger Abendblatt\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Beseelt von den fabelhaften Gitarristen Uzi Ramirez und Yonathan Albalak, der auch pumpende Basslines liefert, entstehen nicht nur bei Beethovens imposanter 'Moonlight Sonata' vibrierende Soundscapes von ekstatischer Intensität. Die überglänzt Avishai Cohen hypnotisch mit genialen Ohrwurm-Melodien, die Suchtpotential haben und zu rauschhaften Glücksgefühlen führen.\u003cbr\u003e Sven Thielmann, HiFi \u0026amp; Records\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDas Album legt sich nicht fest, fährt sich nicht auf einen Songtypus ein, sondern führt viele Stile zusammen. In diesem Patchwork aus Feinsinnigem und Kantigem findet sogar eine Version von Beethovens Mondscheinsonate ihren Platz – und natürlich eine betörende Coverversion […] Zweifellos gehört 'Teardrop' zum Größten, was die Neunziger Jahre musikalisch geschaffen haben. Wie das so ist mit Coverversionen von solchen Megasongs: So manche Band verhebt sich und zerschellt im schlimmsten Fall im Duplikat-Kitsch. Doch die Big-Vicious-Version umschifft diese Gefahren souverän; sie schafft die Gratwanderung, den Song-Charakter zu erhalten und ihn doch in eine eigene Form zu gießen. Die Trompete takes over die Role der Leadsängerin, das Schlagzeug liefert den düster-schleppenden Puls und die wahnsinnig schön verzerrte Gitarre mengt entrückte Klangspuren im Bitches-Brew-Style bei. Dass der Song schon mehr als 22 Jahre auf den Buckel hat, ist egal. What Big Vicious will do machen, offenbart: Er war, ist und bleibt cool. Big Vicious - das große Böse. Wenn Avishai Cohen mit seiner Formation diese Begrifflichkeit so schön auslegt, dann kann man nur saygen: Bitte mehr davon von diesem Teufelszeug, das so großartig klingt! \u003cbr\u003eStefan Weigand, Postmondän\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e On Cohen's fourth album at ECM and the debut with this band is the instrumentale Biss, der kreative Zugriff zu püren, gleichwohl hört sich die Musik überaus cultiviert und vielschichtig an [...] Hochkultur opened sich mit Beethovens 'Mondschein-Sonata', bei der sich Elemente von Rock, Jazz, Folk und Klassik zu fundamentaler Größe auftürmen, einer wunderschönen, wildromantisch zerklüfteten Klanglandschaft, über der Cohen Trompete das Mondlicht beschwört. Grandios ist auch die Adaptation des Massive-Attack-Klassikers 'Teardrop', im Original eine Trip-Hop-Ballade aus der Bristoler Rockszene der 90er Jahre. Hier wirkt das Stück wie eine endlose Reise durchs All, und manchmal klingt es, als wären unterwegs, auf der Höhe des Mars, Miles Davis und David Bowie zugestiegen […] Das ist neither Pop nor Jazz, sondern beides zugleich und mehr: lebendige Musik. Ein wunderschönes Album.\u003cbr\u003e Jens-Uwe Sommerschuh, Sächsische Zeitung\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIt's not often a record brings you to a complete standstill. Well, the latest release from trumpeter Avishai Cohen, does just that for sheer brilliance. Cohen formed the band Big Vicious when he relocated back to his native Israel from the United States six years ago. His aim was to unite players who could shape the music from the ground up with a view to writing new material with them […] From the first track to the last, it entices the listener who's left craving more. At times, very cinematic, big and meaty and, later, particularly subtle and easy on the ear. The driving force behind each little gem is Cohen's trumpet, superbly supported by the band. All songs, apart from two, are written by Cohen and band: Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' and 'Teardrop', by Massive Attack. From the outset, you can hear elements similar to Portishead and Massive Attack's style, so it was interesting to see one of theirs appearing on the album. The latter, despite being covers, are delivered in a way that is true to the original but with subtle nuances to set them apart. The rest of the album is full of powerhouse explosions like 'King Kutner', where the driving beat pushes it to the edge of rock before Cohen's trumpet swiftly maneuvers it back to jazz. Overall, an excellent album, each song setting up the next and none failing to deliver on quality. Definitely worth a listen. \u003cbr\u003eNick Davies, London Jazz News\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Tout en precision, en rythmes insidieux, de langueurs en guitars joliment sculptées, 'Big Vicious' chatouille les oreilles de la generation 90: Seattle, Bristol, le fantôme de Jeff Buckley dans cette Sonate au 'Clair de Lune' opératique et fascinating. Et même 'Teardrop' de Massive attack! […] A cheval entre le monde psychedélique d'un Don Ellis (l' énerme 'Fractals') et un rock beaucoup plus primaire ('King Kutner'), Cohen livre par bribes sa playlist adolescente. On sent le temps qu'il lui a fallu pour ouvrir les portes de ce jardin secret, polish la bête, trouver le beau derrière le vicieux. Moins incendiaire que 'Triveni' et visceral qu' 'Into The Silence', 'Big Vicious' coche la case de la sincérité. Né il ya quinze ans dans l'hystérie de la nuit new-yorkaise, il a fini par accoucher d'un disque lumineux, spectral… mais vicieux juste ce qu' il faut pour vous piquer à chaque ècoute.\u003cbr\u003e David Koperhant, Jazz News\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003ch4\u003eDESCRIPTION\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e Charismatic trumpeter Avishai Cohen launched his exuberant, home-grown band Big Vicious six years ago, after relocating from the US to his native Israel, rounding up players to shape the music from the ground up, and co-authoring much of his newest material together with them. \"This Time It's Different\", the title of one of the new pieces, could serve as a motto for the project.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"We're all coming from jazz, but some of us left it earlier\", Avishai says, summing up the idiomatic reach of his cohorts. \"Everyone's bringing in their backgrounds, and that becomes part of the sound of the band.\" Textures from electronica, ambient music and psychedelia are part of the blend, so too grooves and beats from rock, pop, trip-hop and more. Ziv Ravitz: \"In the combination of everything, this is a magical group. It's very special because you would expect it to explode, with total drama. But the music is deep, and very melodic.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWriting sessions for the album took place in the studio of Tel Aviv musician-producer Yuvi Havkin – also known as Rejoicer – who contributed to three of the pieces on Big Vicious's debut. This communal approach to creating was a new departure for Avishai Cohen, who had not previously written together with other musicians. \"It's made a huge difference, having everybody involved in the writing. There was a lot of discussion about what we wanted the music to be and how it should sound. Rejoicer was part of the process, too, when everyone was bringing in ideas. The Indian scale that underpins the tune 'Fractals' came from him, and 'Teno Neno' takes off from a comment of his, as well. He was just with us, the whole time we were writing.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA wide-open approach to cover versions is also integral to the Vicious vision. \"We played a lot of covers when we started out. Especially music from the 1990s because that resonates with our generation, the things we listened to at school. But Massive Attack's 'Teardrop' is one we never get tired of. It's a piece you can stay in forever – every element in it is so complete and at the same time so simple.\" The Big Vicious version moves the trumpet into a role analogous to a lead singer's. This is part of the group's stylistic identity, explored in their own pieces, too. Avishai says, \"In this band, it's not really about the solos. That's not the goal or aesthetic here. It's really about how to make a song, even though no one sings. That's the difference, to me, to my other work.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIntense monitoring of live recordings preceded the studio work. Ziv Ravitz: \"In jazz bands you don't really do that. You play the concert and whatever happened, happened. But we would sit down in the van together and listen many times to each show. Saying: let's tweak this part, let's look again at this...\". \"It was like analyzing soccer games every night,\" says Avishai. \"It was great. Fine tuning the music, zooming in on the pieces, finding little details to improve.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e If this reflects \"more of a pop mentality\" as Ziv Ravitz suggests, the recording in Studios La Buissonne in the South of France with Manfred Eicher producing, was characteristically improvisational. Avisha: \"We may have worked on the music for months, but finally the vibe on the album is our vibe on those three days of recording. It still feels like jazz in that way.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eJonathan Albalak: \"Manfred's contribution changed a lot. He'd say something and it could change the essence of a piece we'd been playing for two years, and we'd get to explore a new taste of it.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Avisha: \"We have a mutual trust. He trusts me that I'm bringing in the right thing, and I trust that he is with us in the concept, and the only question is: what makes the music resonate?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Big Vicious draws upon long-standing friendships. Avishai Cohen and guitarist Uzi Ramirez attended the same high school in Tel Aviv. And guitarist\/bassist Jonathan Albalak and drummer Aviv Cohen, both from Jerusalem, have played together in various ensembles since the early 2000s. Ziv Ravitz, recruited as second drummer in 2018, completed the line-up, with a brief to bring some of the colors and energies of Avishai's acoustic quartet – with whom Ziv has toured extensively – into the Vicious admixture.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe album features cover art by Israeli illustrator David Polonsky, well-known for his work on the animated documentary and graphic novel Waltz With Bashir.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Big Vicious's debut is Avishai Cohen's fourth album on ECM. It follows the quintet recording Into The Silence (2015), the quartet album Cross My Palm With Silver (2016), and the duo album with pianist Yonathan Avishai Playing The Room (2018). Avishai Cohen can also be heard as a member of the Mark Turner Quartet on Lathe of Heaven (recorded 2013).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e VIDEO \u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"800\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8CvpzZupRK8\" title=\"Avishai Cohen Big Vicious - Teardrop | ECM Records\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527899615573,"sku":"Big Vicious, Avishai Cohen","price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-Big-Vicious-Avishai-Cohen-viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545727"},{"product_id":"ecm-records-opening-tord-gustavsen-trio-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, Opening, Tord Gustavsen Trio, vinyl record","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn the album Opening, Tord Gustavsen reveals a fresh angle to his particularly unique trio investigations into Scandinavian folk hymns, gospel, chorale and jazz, as he introduces a different voice on bass. With a new fellow-traveller on board, in Lugano's Auditorio Stelio Molo the trio discovers inspired new ways to interact with each other, using innovative approaches to sound and technique in the process. Made up in equal parts of intricately textured improvisations and understated melodic hooks, the group's conversations bring an enticing unfamiliarity to the language the Norwegian pianist has developed over almost two decades of collaboration with ECM.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Artists\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Tord Gustavsen Trio\u003cbr\u003e Tord Gustavsen\u003cbr\u003e Piano, Electronics\u003cbr\u003e Steinar Raknes\u003cbr\u003e Double Bass, Electronics\u003cbr\u003e Jarle Vespestad\u003cbr\u003e Drums\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRecorded\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e October 2021, Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Release Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 08.04.2022\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e 1 The Circle\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 03:56\u003cbr\u003e 2 Findings \/ Visa från Rättvik \u003cbr\u003e(Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 03:22\u003cbr\u003e 3 Opening\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 03:25\u003cbr\u003e 4 The Longing\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 02:34\u003cbr\u003e 5 Shepherd Song\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 05:42\u003cbr\u003e 6 Helensburgh Tango\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 04:20\u003cbr\u003e 7 Re-Opening\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 05:27\u003cbr\u003e 8 Findings II\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 02:03\u003cbr\u003e 9 Stream\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 07:03\u003cbr\u003e 10 Ritual\u003cbr\u003e (Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 03:56\u003cbr\u003e 11 Fløytelåt \/ The Flute\u003cbr\u003e (Geirr Tveitt, Tord Gustavsen)\u003cbr\u003e 03:44\u003cbr\u003e 12 Be strong, my soul\u003cbr\u003e (Egil Hovland)\u003cbr\u003e 03:03\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e MEDIA REACTIONS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eOn the pianist's ninth album as a leader, alongside longtime drummer Jarle Vespastad, he is joined by a new bassist, Steinar Raknes. […] While some keening bowed bass late on in the record injects tone colors darker than Gustavsen's usual palette, much of this quietly beguiling release will have an enticing familiarity to fans. The first tentative piano lines and shimmering cymbals of 'The Circle' propel us directly into Gustavsen's world. The bass tiptoes round the bittersweet, hymn-like melody picked out by the man who puts the piano into pianissimo. The title track's gentle melody and sense of foreboding conjures a Scandi noir, all billowing mist and regrets. […] And so the tunes shimmer in and out – all recorded in the translucent acoustic of Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano. On 'Helensburgh Tango' a snare drum rattles as ghostly bowed bass and piano entwine in the slowest of dances. On Re-opening the bass returns, mournfully keening before a sublime, stately piano melody emerges from beautiful gloom. With lesser artists the uniformity of mood and reluctance to turn up the volume would pall. But there's an artistry to Gustavsen's compositions, a skill in their execution, and a warmth to their spirit that keeps the listener engaged. \u003cbr\u003eJohn Bungey, London Jazz News\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e For Gustavsen, pieces such as 'Floytelat' and 'Vaer Sterk, Min Sjel' are routes into the sort of cerebral mysteries that the former church pianist has made his own. The first is a funereal theme where the notes he sprinkles like raindrops build into a fatalistic flood. The second, from the Norwegian Hymnal, is played with an innocent simplicity. Both are equally powerful. The folk song 'Visa Fran Rattvik' is fused with 'Findings', an incantation out of which emerges a tune of immemorial melancholy. Even the tasty ballad 'Stream' suggests a gentle struggle between Scandi stoicism and those American classics. Remarkable music, Norwegian blues.\u003cbr\u003e Chris Pearson, The Times\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOn 'Opening', Gustaven pens contemplative tunes that invite introspection, pursuing ethereality while remaining grounded in jazz earthiness. The title track is a great example, luxuriating in the atmospheric chamber jazz aesthetic for which ECM has rightly become known, while still adding that element of blues that unmistakably marks it as within the jazz tradition. Despite ending with a quote from the traditional Swedish folk song 'Visa från Rättvik,' 'Findings' subtly swings, bringing its rhythm to a boil thanks to the wonderfully understated but assertive drumming by Jarle Vespestad. Plenty of the tunes simply don't worry about genre fidelity – 'Fløytelåt\/The Flute' and 'Stream,' which features an extended solo from bassist Steiner Raknes, just soak themselves in their own beauty. Even better is 'Ritual,' a misty shimmer of a track led by Gustavsen's insistent chords and Raknes' ghostly arc work that doesn't fit easily into any musical box. [… ] Gustavsen and his crew carved out a distinctive niche in the jazz firmament, and 'Opening' presents them at their best. \u003cbr\u003eMichael Toland, The Big Takeover\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEr ist als Pianist ein Leisetreter – durch und durch spirituell, empfänglich für jede Note aus dem Bereich des Feinstofflichen. Der Norweger Tord Gustavsen ist nach einer längeren Aufnahmepause zurück mit einem Trioalbum, das uns in seiner Friedlichkeit tröstet und uns mit all seiner Zärtlichkeit umschmeichelt. 'Opening' ist ein humanistisches Statement, das der Pianist allen Spannungen der Außenwelt entgegensetzt. Sein langjähriger Schlagzeuger Jarle Vespestad sett dabei fine percussive accent, der neu ins Triogeschehen eintretene Bassist Steinar Raknes sorgt mit federnden Grundtönen für Leichtigkeit und Flexibility. Tord Gustavsen erspürt die Musik in der Atmospherät. Wie aus der steten Bewegung von Ebbe und Flut tauchen bei ihm musikalische Themen auf und wieder ab. […] Feine Elektronik hier und da verdichtet die Atmosfere. Intensiver wird es einmal im Song 'Rituals', bei dem Tord Gustavsen und seine beiden Begleiter den Klang ihrer Instrumente elektronisch verfremden, deutlich zupackender als noch vorher zusammenkommen und das Bandgeschehen in eine dunkle Sphäre voller Mystik eintritt. Gustavsen closes den Reigen auf 'Opening' with einem norwegischen Volkslied. Zwölf musikalische Perlen mit großer hymnischer Kraft. An inspiring album with an einfühlsamen norwegian Trio, which underlines the Stellenworth of Tord Gustavsen as pianist of the European scene. \u003cbr\u003eSarah Seidel, Norddeutscher Rundfunk\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Norwegian piano star Tord Gustavsen's long-honed recipe of low-key folk songs, gospel, classical music and jazz gets a graceful makeover on 'Opening' – with new bassist Steinar Raknes, a player of uncannily responsive precision alongside regular percussionist Jarle Vespestad, while subtle electronics sometimes create ghostly horn-player effects.\u003cbr\u003e John Fordham, The Guardian\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This latest trio offering from Tord Gustavsen, which welcomes bassist Steinar Raknes into the fold, vibrates between the introspective and the dramatic in rich and singular ways. […] The recording is exemplary in its detail and dynamic range.\u003cbr\u003e Peter Quinn, Jazzwise (Editor's Choice)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Opening' incorporates information from each of his previous trio incarnations then extrapolates them to create this strange yet welcoming inquiry into a jazz piano trio's highly textured encounter and dialogue with the elliptical nature of time, space, tone, and color.\u003cbr\u003e Thom Jurek, All Music\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe 12 songs on 'Opening' draw on sources ranging from Swedish folk music to Norwegian classical, which the trio approaches with a delicate interplay. The musical conversation between Gustavsen and Raknes on centerpiece 'Stream' is breathtaking, the improvisation from both musicians rich in melody and poured like dual streams of water, alternately merging and branching off. Meanwhile, Vespestad sticks to the background with a muted pulse, adding momentum without distracting. Elsewhere, Gustavsen reimagines 20th century classical music using modern instruments in 'Fløytelåt,' a piece by Norwegian composer Gveirr Tveitt. Had the trio performed the song straight, it would have been haunting and slow, well within Gustavsen's wheelhouse. Instead, he transforms it into a surprising highlight, playing the central melody on an electronic instrument whose haunting tone resembles a muted theremin. The texture conjures an eeriness that the trio would not have been able to reproduce on acoustic instruments, and the spectral atmosphere allows Gustavsen some of the album's most impressive improvisation. […] the focus of 'Opening' remains the playing from Gustavsen and the rich accompaniment from his fellow musicians, creating an atmosphere perfect for a walk by a cabin at dawn, with the sun peeking in through the trees. \u003cbr\u003eMarshall Gu, Pitchfork\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Accompanied by the bassist Steinar Raknes and the batteur Jarle Vespestad, Gustavsen, 51 ans, propose, à travers 12 pièces, un voyage musical confortable, feutré, relaxe et constitue de superbes ambiances diversifiées agréables pour l'oreille […] 'Opening' is already inscrit comme étant un des albums jazz importants de l'album 2022.\u003cbr\u003e Yves Leclerc, Le Journal de Montréal\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFür das neue Album baut Gustavsen erneute auf Schlagzeuger Jarle Vespestad, der gewohnt dezent und songdienlich akzentuiert und im gedanklichen Gleichschritt mit Gustavsen improvisiert. Neu dabei ist Bassist Steinar Raknes, der phaseweise durch forsch auftritt und immer wieder mal die Führung des Trios objekts. Der Vitalität tut das sehr gut. Und so ist 'Opening' deutlich einselder und zielstrebiger als der ebenfalls starke, aber deutlich ruhigere Vorganger 'The Other Side' […] Und so hat das Tord Gustavsen Trio auf 'Opening' die Grenzen seines Spiels diesmal deutlich weiter abgesteckt als zuvor. Die typicalsen, tief-schönen Melodien sind noch immer da, sie werden aber herausgefordert und aus ihrer Wohlfühlzone geschubst. Im neuen Umfeld ist ihre Wirkung umso größer.\u003cbr\u003e Sebastian Meißner, Sounds and Books\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eUn album d'une élégance rare. […] La musique de Gustavsen est faite de silences, de melodies discrètes, de climats nostalgiques, de notes raffinées, d’improvisations policées.\u003cbr\u003e Jean-Claude Vantroyen, Le Soir\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Admirable cohesion between the three instrumentalists, who present the compositions and the lectures with emotion and emotion.\u003cbr\u003e Philippe Renaud, Le Devoir\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Meister improvisatorischer Feinmechanik [..] Mehr denn je wird deutlich: Gustavsen greift nicht in die Tasten, er singt auf diesen. Vespestad traktiert die Felle und Becken nicht, er versteht sie subtil – ja: zärtlich – zum Klingen zu bringen. Und statt bloß zu begleitten, färbt und lenkt Raknes das Spiel seiner Kollegen mit überraschenden, dabei unaufdringlichen Wendungen. Die Würze der übermöglich kurzen, songähnlich konceptenten Stücke verdankt sich der Ingredient aller dei Spieler – und dem gemeinsam Faible dafür, genau hinzuhören, statt aufs Gas zu drücken.\u003cbr\u003e Wolfgang Gratzer, Jazzpodium\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHier gibt's neither Wettbewerbsgedanken nor Lospreschen im Zusammenspiel. Jeder Ton hat Gewicht und fugt sich wie eine Perle auf die Schnur dieser Musik. Improvisation is here unternnbares Element des Ganzen, das sich aufschwingt zu einem zeitlosen friedlichen Statement, das in sich ruht und von da seine anrührende Stärke beziehtung.\u003cbr\u003e Ulrich Steinmetzger, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAfter 2018's stellar 'The Other Side', Tord Gustavsen again graces listeners with a trio format. On this outing, ecologically-minded double bassist Sigurd Hole is replaced by ECM newcomer Steinar Raknes. A prolific recording artist with everything from dusky alt-country and Americana to post-bop and free jazz to his name, Raknes introduces new flavors to the trio's palette. Gustavsen, along with stalwart percussionist Jarle Vespestad, proves to be an ideal collaborator with Raknes' diverse musical background. […] The album closes with an interpretation of 'Vær sterk, min sjel' from the Norwegian hymnal; a final, unresolved chord hangs in the sacral air and is answered only by the whisper of a pedal movement. With 'Opening', Gustavsen continues to perfect the qualities that have always set his music apart, letting his phrases emerge like faintly luminous shapes in the darkness and coaxing listeners to chart their own paths between them.\u003cbr\u003e David Bruggink, All About Jazz\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis is the first Gustavsen trio recording with Steiner Raknes on bass and the newcomer brings verve and character to the session, settling in quickly between the pianist's studious chordal musings and regular drummer Jarle Vespestad's sensitive stick and brushwork. As with much of Gustavsen's music, the trio moves gently within the tunes the bandleader presents, carefully and patiently creating timeless atmospheres from fragments of chords and motifs. The trio offers some lovely interplay throughout the recording, with folk-tinged melodies lilting softly against a backdrop of mercurial melancholy. The tunes build in a way that suggests full immersion from all three musicians as they navigate a path of musical interaction and improvisation, with carefully implemented electronics adding to the overall ambience.\u003cbr\u003e Mike Gates, UK Vibe\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eLe cinquième album du Tord Gustavsen Trio sur ECM marks the arrival of a new (and remarkable) contrabassiste, Steinar Raknes, lequel apporte de nouvelles perspectives, à beginner par la démultiplication ds timbres premise par l'electronique. […] L'hédonisme sonore qui règne, et qu sinon pourrait agacer, n'entrave pas l'interplay, libérant au contraire un espace propice à l'écoute, à la patience, hors de toute demonstration de force. On retrouve chez le pianiste ce remarquable timing de la phrase, son toucher lumnieux, comme dans le solo qui s'élève au center de 'Re-Opening', extrayant l'auditeur d'un oppressant paysage sonore.\u003cbr\u003e Vincent Cotro, Jazz magazine\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe clarity of his pianistic expression that knows how to find in a poetic language épure the inspiration of the folkloric themes of his country with the most elaborate jazz harmony, the classic repertoire with a freedom of improvisation always elegant and mastered, make his personal aesthetic a real original, one of the most fascinating to discover on the European musical scene. […] une esthétique faite d'une grâce providentielle rare et indubitablement bienvenue.\u003cbr\u003e Jean-Pierre Jackson, Pianist\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e'Opening' is 12 tracks but it is one whole. The elemental melody of 'The longing' sounds elusively familiar. Perhaps it's a hymn you heard as a child, or perhaps it's a love song you can almost remember. In fact it's new, an alternative to silence, barely a form. Steinar Raknes, the trio's new bassist, threads poignant counterlines through it. […] All of Gustavsen's music sounds like spontaneous composition. He is always feeling his way into his songs. What makes him special is that along the way he finds so much beauty. His quiet chord chains can sound hesitant, but they cohere into firm resolutions, and his melodies, wherever he finds them, are revelations of breaking light. 'Opening' will attract some late-arriving new members into the Tord Gustavsen cult.\u003cbr\u003e Thomas Conrad, Jazz Times\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eEtwas Tröstendes hat das und in hohem Maße Sinnliches, das sich ohne Umwege überträgt. Gustavsen ist ein Meister der leisen Töne, des Unaufgeregten, Introspektiven, das er einer Weise zum Blühen bringt, dass es eine spirituelle Kraft entwickelt und zum Gegenmittel zu allem Höher-Schneller-Weiter wird. Als tragfähig und betörend erweist sich die Magie dieser Klänge, die wie ein kollektiver Bewusstseinstrom sind.\u003cbr\u003e Ulrich Steinmetzger, Leipziger Volkszeitung\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eL'atmosphère générale d' 'Opening' a beau entrelacer le sensuel et le méditatif, rien n'est prémédité […] Surtout que Gustavsen s'amuse sur certains titres à larder son piano acoustique d'effets électroniques. Le dosage est maîtrisé et parfois osé comme sur le violent 'Ritual', a fascinating electric incantation qui ne fait pourtant cet océan onirique. Mais Tord Gustavsen reste tout de même le plus convincing lorsqu'il se concentre à agripper une mélodie voluptueuse. Comme sur 'Vær sterk, min sjel' qui referme cet album éclectique.\u003cbr\u003e Marc Zisman, Jazz News\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThere is something new and fresh about this latest release from Gustavsen. There is both a sense of continuity and development of the language that he has been building over the last two decades, and the beginnings of something new and a different line of discovery. All the component parts of the pianist's music are present. Slow and organic development of the music, a deep rooted lyricism coupled with a gentle rhythmic pull on the sonic soundscape by long time friend and drummer, Jarle Vespestad. However, this time there is a new voice and a spirit in bassist Steinar Raknes whose contribution says a lot but often in very subtle tones. Coupled with the addition of electronics in the sound mix, sometimes very subtly and sometimes not so much, brings an extra textural element to the music. Paradoxically, many of the compositions are quite fleeting, over and done with in under four minutes yet still seem unhurried. The melodies come but at their own pace when ready, and yet each of Gustavsen's appear complete and have reached their conclusion in a feeling of apparent timelessness. \u003cbr\u003eNick Lea, Jazz Views\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With Steinar Raknes the new bassist, but everything else much the same, the Tord Gustavsen trio continues on its minimalist path, developing the traits and styles explored on its earlier works while expanding its soundscapes in more organic ways. The sense of spaciousness is as wide as ever, the melodies revealed at their own pace and in their own time, entering when it feels natural. More than ever, Gustavsen dwells on minuscule fragments, brief chord chains and scarce hints of motifs, developing the material patiently […] Throughout, Raknes establishes the firm counterpoint in the music, as he is an extroverted bass player who likes to take the center stage but is also highly supportive, shifting with ease between background, collective and solo roles. Jarle Vespestad is as subtle and quiet as ever, Gustavsen always precise and evocative. The interplay between the three is note perfect, the album another triumph in demonstrating that less is often more.\u003cbr\u003e Simon Adams, Jazz Journal\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMit 'Opening', dem neuen Werk dieses formidablen Trios, stellt der heute 51-jährige Pianist seinen Ruf als einer der eigenständigsten Jazzmusiker seiner Generation nachdrücklich unter Beweis. 'Opening' knüpft da an, wo 'The Other Side' vor vier Jahren endete: mit der sachten Auslotung harmonischer und melodischer Möglichkeiten, einen spanischen Zungenschlag im Kontext eines fast stoischen musikalischen Flusses zu platzieren, was dem ganzen Tongemälde eine gewisse Grandezza verleiht. Bei dieser Session im schweizerischen Lugano gab es offenbar neither Gleichgültigkeit nor Zwietracht - wohl aber spannen Kontraste in nordluftklar ausgeleuchteten Klangräumen, seamless Übergänge von lyrisch-kammermusikalischen Mosaicen zu rhythmisch-ethnischen Passagen.\u003cbr\u003e Tom Fuchs, Piano News ('CD of the month')\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSubtle Themen von innerer Schönheit, melodische Signaturen mit folkloristischen Bezügen und kurzivige Schritte in freie musikalische Bereiche: Seit mehr als zwei Dekaden kreiert das Trio des norwegischen Pianisten Tord Gustavsen unverkennbare Klangschöpfungen auf dem ECM-Label. Von Anbeginn gehörte der ausgeschneite Drummer Jarle Vespestad zur Besetzung. Lediglich bei den Kontrabassisten kam es zu Änderunge. Jetzt übernahm Steinar Keys diesen Part. Spezielle in 'Stream' und dem hypnotischen 'Ritual' demonstriert er, wie auszeichnung seine Bassfiguren zu Gustavsen Konzeption passen.\u003cbr\u003e Gerd Filtgen, Stereo\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWith 'Opening' the Norwegian Tord Gustavsen Trio sees the leader conjuring the sensibilities of Beethoven and Liszt while staying true to his own long-standing interest in areas such as folk and church music yet nevertheless managing to create a suffusive, atmospheric jazz album by deploying the old-fashioned elements of improvisation and memorable riffs […] Some discreet electronics add subtle detailing to the trio's canvas and contribute to an overall result that succeeds in being both understated and perfectly replete.\u003cbr\u003e Roger Thomas, BBC Music Magazine (Five stars)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eGustavsen established a singular sound with his debut, now nearly twenty years ago, and his style remains unique and unmistakable. Subsequent albums have found him refining his sound, a process that I have described as 'polishing the diamond', a phrase borrowed from drummer Bill Bruford. Nevertheless each recording has been subtly different with this latest offering placing a greater emphasis on collective improvisation, but still within the parameters of the very distinctive Tord Gustavsen sound. This album also continues Gustavsen's subtle experiments with electronics and deploys more bowed bass than usual. However, despite the numerous changes in the bass chair over the years, the group's sound remains essentially unchanged. But it's impossible to think of a Gustavsen group without Jarle Vespestad, his delicate, minimal, inherently musical playing takes the art of the drum 'colourist' to new heights and truly is a thing of wonder and beauty.\u003cbr\u003e Ian Mann, The Jazzman\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e DESCRIPTION\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eTord Gustavsen's album Opening develops the traits and styles explored on his earlier works, while introducing a broader spectrum of suppleness and a transformed sense of interplay to the trio's repertoire. It is the first Gustavsen Trio recording with Steinar Raknes on bass and the newcomer feels quite at home supporting his colleagues in the deep end, settling in quickly between Tord's refined chordal studies and Jarle Vespestad's delicate stick- and brushwork.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There's a particularly striking openness to the music, marked by spacious improvisations and a tendency to reveal the secrets and melodies at their own pace. \"The urge for saying something, be it abstract or lyrical, has to come from within,\" Tord reasons. \"During the recording of the album it felt better to do the breathing first, open up the soundscape in more organic ways and let the melody enter when it comes naturally.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMultiple causes may account for the shift in temperament on Opening – the change in lineup certainly being one of them. Bassist Steinar Raknes establishes a firm counterpoint in the music. \"He's an extroverted bass player, who likes to take center stage, while also being an incredibly supportive and humble accompanist, so he moves very swiftly between background, collective and soloist roles.\" An ideal counterbalance to the variable basslines, Jarle's percussive rumination acts as a mediator, guiding his fellow musicians through alternating even-pulsed and rubato passages.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Here more than ever Tord dwells on minuscule fragments, brief chord chains and scarce hints of motifs, developing the material patiently: \"It's something I've been doing a lot in solo concerts. Having themes just appear out of the dark and disappearing back into a shady undercurrent...\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn a way picking up where the prior trio album The Other Side left off, album-opening \"The Circle\" presents a hymnal refrain, fashioned with a humble design. \"I was sitting at the piano and the first four bars just came to me. I worked out and developed the remaining structure deliberately, but more and more I find that the best tunes I've written over the years basically just came to me, like gifts. I then have the responsibility to shape the gift, make it grow and turn it into a complete piece\".\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe trio offers spontaneous moments of dense rubato interplay on \"Opening\" and \"Findings\", the latter of which ends on an instrumental quote of the Swedish folk song \"Visa från Rättvik\". \"It shows that I was listening to the classic Swedish Folk-tune arrangements by the late Jan Johansson, who also happened to be one of the greatest Swedish jazz pianists. I've been learning many of his arrangements by heart, just as an exercise, and that influence is in evidence here\". These are also the most freely improvised exhibits of the record, as is counterpart \"Findings II\". \"I really enjoy building these miniatures — it's something we often do in live situations. It's about creating a shape, not about free improv in the sense of showing everything you're capable of doing\".\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWith each song, the trio shifts focus, presenting the reduced, most skeletal shape of a composition on \"The Longing\", the gentle untangling of melody on \"Shepherd Song\" and the subtle deconstruction of a dance with \"Helensburgh Tango\" - \"to the point where it almost doesn't qualify as a tango anymore\". Like \"Re-opening\", most songs have prescribed harmonic changes and general shapes, \"but when to move from one chord or section to the next isn't pre-composed, but decided between us, in the spur of the moment\".\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\"Stream\" uncovers a 'classic' piano trio ballad in shape and execution. \"Though seemingly counterintuitive, in the studio our interplay grew densest during Steinar's solo, then we move into a collective crescendo – both spontaneous decisions that really shed a different light on the track.\" \"Ritual\" follows, seeing Steinar taking the lead with guitar-like treble and Gustavsen being in charge of the lower frequencies, applying subtle electronics in the process.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The group goes full circle with the one subject that pulls through Tord Gustavsen's entire ECM oeuvre, as Opening closes with Norwegian folk themes: “Fløytelåt” (the flute) by composer Gveirr Tveitt and Egil Hovland's “Vær sterk, min sjel” from the Norsk Salmebok, the Norwegian Hymnal. Instead of stating the obvious and immediately going for the melody, Gustavsen and his accompanists again broach the songs with openness, trading strict organization for thoughtful and effortless improvisation.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOpening was recorded in Lugano's Auditorio Stelio Molo in November 2021 and produced by Manfred Eicher.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e VIDEO \u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"800\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TobtC_b1Abw\" title=\"Tord Gustavsen Trio - Stream (from the new album 'Opening') | ECM Records\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527931859285,"sku":"Opening, Tord Gustavsen Trio","price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-Opening-Tord-Gustavsen-Trio-viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545733"},{"product_id":"ecm-records-return-to-forever-chick-corea-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, Return To Forever, Chick Corea, vinyl record","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Artists\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chick Corea\u003cbr\u003e Electric Piano\u003cbr\u003e Joe Farrell\u003cbr\u003e Flutes, Soprano Saxophone\u003cbr\u003e Flora Purim\u003cbr\u003e Vocals, Percussion\u003cbr\u003e Stan Clarke\u003cbr\u003e Electric Bass, Double Bass\u003cbr\u003e Airto Moreira\u003cbr\u003e Drums, Percussion\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRecorded\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e February 1972, A \u0026amp; R Studios, New York\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Release Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 01.07.1972\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e 1 Return To Forever\u003cbr\u003e (Chick Corea)\u003cbr\u003e 12:06\u003cbr\u003e 2 Crystal Silence\u003cbr\u003e (Chick Corea)\u003cbr\u003e 06:55\u003cbr\u003e 3 What Game Shall We Play Today \u003cbr\u003e(Chick Corea, Neville Potter)\u003cbr\u003e 04:26\u003cbr\u003e 4 Sometime Ago - La Fiesta\u003cbr\u003e (Chick Corea, Neville Potter)\u003cbr\u003e 23:18\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527946178901,"sku":"Return To Forever, Chick Corea","price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-Return-To-Forever-Chick-Corea-viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545740"},{"product_id":"ecm-records-skala-mathias-eick-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, Skala, Mathias Eick, vinyl record","description":"\u003cp\u003e Mathias Eick's intensely melodic trumpet occupies the center-stage in this album of self-penned tunes which will appeal to an audience beyond \"jazz\". Against the powerful backdrops offered by his sleek, modern band, driven by two drummers, he delivers richly lyrical soliloquies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e Also available as 180-gram vinyl LP.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Artists\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Mathias Eick\u003cbr\u003e Trumpet, Vibraphone, Electric Guitar, Upright Bass\u003cbr\u003e Audun Erlien\u003cbr\u003e Electric Bass\u003cbr\u003e Andreas Ulvo\u003cbr\u003e Piano\u003cbr\u003e Torstein Lofthus\u003cbr\u003e Drums\u003cbr\u003e Tore Brunborg\u003cbr\u003e Tenor Saxophone\u003cbr\u003e Gard Nilssen\u003cbr\u003e Drums\u003cbr\u003e Morten Qvenild\u003cbr\u003e Keyboards\u003cbr\u003e Sidsel Walstad\u003cbr\u003e Harp\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRecorded\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2009-2010\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Release Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 18.03.2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e 1 Scale\u003cbr\u003e (Mathias Eick)\u003cbr\u003e 06:14\u003cbr\u003e 2 Edinburgh\u003cbr\u003e (Mathias Eick)\u003cbr\u003e 05:04\u003cbr\u003e 3 June\u003cbr\u003e (Mathias Eick)\u003cbr\u003e 04:14\u003cbr\u003e 4 Oslo\u003cbr\u003e (Mathias Eick)\u003cbr\u003e 05:27\u003cbr\u003e 5 Joni\u003cbr\u003e (Mathias Eick)\u003cbr\u003e 05:52\u003cbr\u003e 6 Beerman\u003cbr\u003e (Mathias Eick)\u003cbr\u003e 06:07\u003cbr\u003e 7 Days After\u003cbr\u003e (Mathias Eick)\u003cbr\u003e 04:52\u003cbr\u003e 8 Epilogue\u003cbr\u003e (Mathias Eick)\u003cbr\u003e 03:20\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e MEDIA REACTIONS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e Wer sich an Eicks ECM-Debüt \"The Door\" der bekommt mit diesem neuen Album \"Skala\" nochmal einen Quantensprung gelift. Mathias Eick lässt seine Trompete quasi singen, unheimlich lyrisch ist das Album Skala geworden. Alle Kompositionen sind von ihm selbst, influence \"von Pop bis Klassik\" wie er selbst sagt. \"Oslo\" heißt zB seine Hymne auf die norwegische Stadt, \"Joni\" ist wiederum eine Verbeugung vor Joni Mitchell und ihrer Musik. In \"The day after\" bezieht sich Eick auf den Meilenstein \"Belonging\" von Keith Jarrett und Jan Garbarek und gelitzichte verneigt er sich vor dem hämmernden Rock-Piano-Sound von Elton John.\u003cbr\u003e Stefan Maelck, MDR\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIl met en place un répertoire varié, tendu comme une corde entre le classicisme mystique d'Edvard Grieg et la pop réflexive de Sting. […] Les ambiances contrastées s'entrechoquent, se superposent, et la toundra nordique s'habille polychrome.\u003cbr\u003e Francisco Cruz, Jazz News\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A larger lineup and more detailed arrangements while never losing the lyrical path of the soloist, the work is consistently revolving around. Textured layers of lyrical inventiveness. Engaging. While the admitted influences of this release range from classical to pop, it is the brilliant use of these \"pop sensibilities\" that make \"Skala\" a sonic delight.\u003cbr\u003e Brent Logan Black, Digital jazz news\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDie ergreifend schönen Songs sind nicht nur stark autobiographicisch gefärbt, sie ergeben auch ein Popalbum im Jazzgewand. [...] Immerhin ist \"Skala\" eine Kreuzfahrt ins Unbekannte zwischen den Gestaden von Klang und Gefühl. Eick works zwar nicht mit Texten, doch er vermittel den Eindruck, man könnte seine Geschichten wörtlich verstehen.\u003cbr\u003e Wolf Kampmann, Jazzthing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e [...] suono che in assolo tende alla massima pulizia, sereno e controllato; recupero dell amelodia; composizioni e arrangiamenti di semplice e illuminante legibilità. L'uso di elettronica e sovrancisioni è parsimonioso; le formazioni mutano a ogni brano, da trii a settetti, e la ritmica si muove secondo coordinate di fine ed elastica leggerezza anche nei brani che vedono la compresenza dei due batteristi.\u003cbr\u003e Fugaldi, Musicajazz\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAber bei Eick und seinem mit gleich zwei Schlagzeugern besetzten Quintett sind es vor allem die ganzen starken Melodien, die Nähe zum Pop, die auskomponierten, wunderschön gestaltetten Stücke, die seine Kunst ausmachen. [...] Melodies, die im Ohr bleiben; Melodien zwischen Verträumtheit und losbrechender Energie, die einen unweigerlich packt.\u003cbr\u003e Christoph Giese, Kölnische Rundschau\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Auf alle Fälle spielt kaum einer so schön Trompete wie er – so versichtig, fast zart und zerbrechlich klingt sein instrument, dass man die Fabelwesen, die Trolle, ganz in der Nähe meint. Wenn dann noch Sidsel Walstads Harfe hinzukommt, ist es wohl um jeden Hörer geschehen.\u003cbr\u003e Carina Prange, Jazzpodium\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e DESCRIPTION\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNorwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick's new album extends the concept and the panoramic sweep of his ECM debut \"The Door\" (recorded 2007). \"It's wider and bigger in all directions,\" Eick says. \"Skala\" calls upon the services of more musicians - including, at times, two drummers - and there is more detail in the arrangements. What hasn't changed is the emphasis on the lyrical soloist at the center of the production. Eick's elegant trumpet now has a larger space in which to sing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Skala\" was crafted, Eick explains, like a pop production. Where most ECM discs are famously completed in three or four days, this project began with five weeks in Oslo's Cabin Recorders Studio. At the outset, Mathias was mostly alone, sketching demos on a variety of instruments, then inviting players in as needed. The project moved on to Bugge Wesseltoft's studio, vibraphone was added at Pooka Studio, and the album was completed at Rainbow Studio where it was mixed by Mathias, co-producer Manfred Eicher and engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cspan\u003e\"Skala\" pools new and older compositions, all written by Mathias, and inspired, he says, by music from classical to pop. The title tune is one that the trumpeter says has been following him \"for many years\", its network of inspirations including Sting's 1993 song \"Shape of My Heart\". It is one of two pieces on the disc to incorporate the expressive saxophone of Tore Brunborg.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Edinburgh\" was written in the Scottish city, but draws inspiration from Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg and the plaintive cry of Jan Garbarek's sax. \"It's not always easy to write pieces on the road. But around the time of 'The Door' we had a nice tour in Britain, with some very fine grand pianos, and sometimes I'd stay on stage after the gigs - with everyone around me packing instruments! - and try a few things. That was how this melody came up.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cspan\u003eEick describes \"June\" as \"a light and peaceful song, a reminiscence of summer days\". The piece incorporates the harp of classical player Sidsel Walstad, currently of the Norwegian Broadcasting Orchestra.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Oslo\", the album's most propulsive tune, is a \"song of the city. It's a groove-directed piece,\" with Radiohead among its pop references. \"Oslo\" also \"brings the idea of ​​the two drummers into play. It sets them loose.\" The piece also includes significant contributions from keyboardist Morten Qvenild, best known for his work with singer Susanna Wallumrød.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cspan\u003e\"Joni\" is, of course, for Joni Mitchell, whose work Eick has long admired. A specific association here is \"Both Sides Now\" in the orchestral arrangement of Vince Mendoza. \"I was really touched when I heard that. This piece of mine, 'Joni', is also several years old. When I had the right musicians in place, like the strong band here, it seemed a good opportunity to look again at some older pieces and set them amongst the newer tunes, to shape an album.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Biermann\" is named for the Oslo house that Eick rents, a place once owned by German merchant JF Biermann, back in the 19th century. \"I guess you could call it an 'hommage' to my working space. I have a piano there and some basic recording equipment, and it's a great place to get some work done when I'm in town.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cspan\u003e\"The Day After\" references the 1970s, and is influenced by sources as diverse as the Jarrett\/Garbarek 'Belonging' collaboration and the pounding rock piano of Elton John. \"The beat, though, is definitely retrospective – not much connection to jazz (laughter). In the end, it's a pop groove.\" Above it, Tore Brunborg and Mathias solo persuasively.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Epilogue\" develops \"from the simple idea of ​​softness meeting raw energy\", as Mathias's tender trumpet soliloquy gives way to typhoon-strength drumming from Torstein Lofthus. \"Tostein has a reputation as one of the best rock and roll, heavy metal and jazz drummers in Norway. He's really one of the stars now, and I wanted to display what he can do...\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn several tracks, Lofthus is partnered with fellow drummer Gard Nilssen. Nilssen took drum lessons with Audun Kleive (drummer on \"The Door\") from the age of seven, and has gone on to become a much-admired player, recently winning the Norwegian Jazz Championship with the band Puma. \"He's best known as a jazz and free jazz drummer in Norway, although he also plays in pop contexts,\" says Mathias. Both drummers are in the new Eick quintet, a group completed by pianist Andreas Ulvo and bass guitarist Audun Erlien. Ulvo has worked extensively with singer Solveig Slettahjell and recorded several albums as leader of the Eple Trio and the Ulvo Ensemble. A melodically-gifted pianist, he is also a committed photographer (and took the portrait of Eick in the booklet of \"Skala\"). Audun Erlien, the only band-member retained from \"The Door\" has also deployed his pulsating bass in the context of Nils Petter Molvaer's music.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cspan\u003eTour dates:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNational Jazzvenue, Oslo (March 5) Jazzklubb, Arendal (March 7), Jazzforum, Hadeland (March 11), Union Scene, Drammen (March 12.03), Jazzforum, Stavanger (March 17), Sardinen, Bergen (March 18) Dokkhuset, Trondheim (March 19), Jazzklubb, Tromsø (March 20), Voss Jazzfestival (April 16), Jazz Ahead, Bremen (April 29), Stadtgarten, Köln (May 2), Centralstation, Darmstadt (May 3), Ampere, Munich (May 4), Midtsommerjazz Festival, Ålesund (June 18), Festspillene in North Norway, Harstad (June 20), Pumpwerk, Wilhelmshaven (August 4), Park der Gãrten, Bad Zwischenahn (August)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e \u003cspan\u003eCONCERTS\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYEAR DATE VENUE LOCATION\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 02 Byscenen Trondheim, Norway\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 04 Victoria Theater Malmö, Sweden\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 05 Jazzklubb Horten, Norway\u003cbr\u003e 2025 May 24 Konzerthaus Vienna, Austria\u003cbr\u003e 2025 September 16 4\/4 forum for Takt og Tone Mo i Rana, Norway\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e2025 September 17 Jazz Evidence Kongsberg, Norway\u003cbr\u003e 2025 September 18 Fasching Stockholm, Sweden\u003cbr\u003e 2025 September 19 Parken Kulturhus Ålesund, Norway\u003cbr\u003e 2025 September 20 Stormen - Adlib Bodo, Norway\u003cbr\u003e 2025 December 11 GDR Hamburg, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 December 12 GDR Hamburg, Germany\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527952896341,"sku":"Skala, Mathias Eick","price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-Skala-Mathias-Eick-viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545743"},{"product_id":"ecm-records-in-praise-of-dreams-jan-garbarek-viniline-plokstele","title":"ECM Records, In Praise of Dreams, Jan Garbarek, vinyl record","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"In Praise of Dreams\" - Jan Garbarek's first new album in six years - features two musicians with whom the great Norwegian saxophonist shares some history - American-Armenian violist Kim Kashkashian and African-French drummer Manu Katché. Garbarek, Kashkashian and Katché span a lot of idioms between them, but the music sings with a focused sense of purpose, in the context that Jan has shaped for it. If dreams are movies for the mind, the album is aptly titled – its atmospheres are evocative and decidedly 'filmic'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eFeatured Artists\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Jan Garbarek\u003cbr\u003e Saxophones\u003cbr\u003e Kim Kashkashian\u003cbr\u003e Viola\u003cbr\u003e Manu Katche\u003cbr\u003e Drums\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRecorded\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2003\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Release Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 27.09.2004\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e TRACKS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e 1 As seen from above\u003cbr\u003e (Jan Garbarek)\u003cbr\u003e 04:42\u003cbr\u003e 2 In praise of dreams\u003cbr\u003e (Jan Garbarek)\u003cbr\u003e 05:21\u003cbr\u003e 3 One goes there alone\u003cbr\u003e (Jan Garbarek)\u003cbr\u003e 05:06\u003cbr\u003e 4 Knot of place and time\u003cbr\u003e (Jan Garbarek)\u003cbr\u003e 06:22\u003cbr\u003e 5 If you go far enough\u003cbr\u003e (Jan Garbarek)\u003cbr\u003e 00:39\u003cbr\u003e 6 Scene from afar\u003cbr\u003e (Jan Garbarek)\u003cbr\u003e 05:14\u003cbr\u003e 7 Cloud of unknown\u003cbr\u003e (Jan Garbarek)\u003cbr\u003e 05:22 \u003cbr\u003e8 Without visible sign\u003cbr\u003e (Jan Garbarek)\u003cbr\u003e 04:59\u003cbr\u003e 9 Iceburn\u003cbr\u003e (Jan Garbarek)\u003cbr\u003e 04:59\u003cbr\u003e 10 Conversation with a stone\u003cbr\u003e (Jan Garbarek)\u003cbr\u003e 04:18\u003cbr\u003e 11 A tale of a beggar\u003cbr\u003e (Jan Garbarek)\u003cbr\u003e 04:39\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e MEDIA REACTIONS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e Grammy Nomination 2005\u003cbr\u003e Songlines, Top of the world\u003cbr\u003e Stereoplay, CD of the Month\u003cbr\u003e Audio, Jazz CD of the Month\u003cbr\u003e Recommended by Jazz Music\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Beautifully recorded, beautifully played, wrenching, emotional – words can't quite do this music justice. Settling down to listen to it, you quickly lose sense of the tracklist and are immersed in another world - as if a film is being projected inside your head. Beautifully phrased melodies and antiphony, with the plaintive viola of US-Armenian Kim Kashkashian, separate into almost Celtic lines and turn your skin to goose flesh. And with rhythm loops, electronic moments and the subtle additions of African-French percussionist Manu Katché, Garbarek creates a score, a sound-world that opens up corners of your heart and soul.\u003cbr\u003e Mark Espiner, Songlines\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eFrom the very first track ... the saxophonist serves notice that this is going to be a very different album to anything he has done before. The haunting electronically generated sounds seem to hang in the air like an early morning mist and are penetrated, like the early morning sun, by the sharp, almost crystalline definition of Garbarek's saxophone, and, on subsequent tracks by Kashkashian on viola. The multiplicities of meaning conjured between them on pieces like \"Knot in Time And place\" or \"Scene from Afar\" take this album to a place where no Garbarek album has gone before. … A major statement, possibly among his finest, by a major artist.\u003cbr\u003e Stuart Nicholson, Jazzwise\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAs might be expected from the Norwegian saxophonist's first solo release in six years, this is a crafted album full of intricately worked tunes. Garbarek employs subtle elements of what might be termed the higher electronica, creating elegantly distressed patterns of percussion to blow against. The masterstroke lies in his choice of collaborators: the classical soloist Kim Kashkashian and drummer Manu Katché, whose indeterminate accents make the machine-made pulses come alive. No surprises then, just real music which deepens with every hearing.\u003cbr\u003e Phil Johnson, Independent on Sunday\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe great Norwegian saxophonist, arguably the most influential non-American star in jazz, hasn't abandoned his biggest asset, the emotive sound for which the term \"plangent\" might have been invented. Beauty remains the name of his game, so unobtrusive samples and synthesizer programs echo the lyricism of his tenor and soprano saxophone work. Sensitively supported by Afro-French percussionist Manu Katché and US-Armenian viola player Kim Kashkashian, he produces another feast of folk-like themes and graceful variations.\u003cbr\u003e Jack Massarik, Evening Standard\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Jan Garbarek's first new disc for six years stood out for its gorgeous melody, clarity of performance and innovative duets with the fabulous viola player Kim Kashkashian. The duo magic up some wonderfully expansive, evocative soundscapes. A meditative album that reveals itself to be full of subtle riches.\u003cbr\u003e Peter Culshaw, Daily Telegraph\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSchon immer war Jan Garbarek mehr als nur Saxophonist. Eine besondere Aura umgibt diesen asketischen Musiker mit den meist traurigen, aber stets funkelnd-suggestiven Tönen ... Die Konsequenz, mit der Garbarek dunkle Stimmungen auslebt, ist unerbittlich. Ständig herrscht Nacht in den elf musikalischen Meditationen. Es wachsen mit düsterem Sog Atmospheren, in die man sich wunderbar hineinfallen lassen kann: Dabei ist die Nacht nicht tot, sie birgt Geheimnisse und Träume, die sich immer etwas Liebliches bewahren. ... \u003cbr\u003eIn Praise of Dreams ist ein Dialog zwischen dem Saxophonisten Garbarek und dem Programmer Garbarek. Entstanden ist ein kammermusikalisches, stilles Studioalbum, das konzentrichter und strenger workbeitet ist als früere Einspielungen des Norwegers. The Grooves are very decent. Aus dem Synthesizer zaubert Garbarek keine klebrigen Saucen, sondern durchsichtige Klangfäden und – tupfer. Umso stichter kommen über dem matt schimmernden Background Garbareks Saxophontöne zur Geltung: Mal sind es kleine Urschreie, dann wieder wie aus Stein gehauene Linien. Dramatisch-Raues und Schmiegsames verbinden sich: ein echter Garbarek eben.\u003cbr\u003e Christoph Merki, Tages-Anzeiger\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eDie Lobpreisung der Träume beginnt mit einem veritablen Aufwecker. ... So richt jubilieren kann der Zuhörer erst, wenn dieses Eingangsstück verklungen ist und Garbarek mit der Bratschistin Kim Kashkashian die Hymne \"In praise of dreams\" anstimmt die an schwelgerischer Schönheit und Faszinationskraft kaum zu überbieten ist. Über einem pumpenden Beat umkreisen sich Garbarek und Kashkashian, kosten die Klangfüller ihrer Instrumente aus und finden zu einem wunderbaren Einklang von Saxophon und Bratsche. Den von einem tiefen Ernst durchzogenen, zugleich dezent verspielten Grundton dieses Meisterstücks halten Garbarek, Kashkashian und Katché über den Rest des Albums. Behutsamkeit und Openheit prägen die Dialoge und lenken die Fülle an Ideen in klare, verblüffend leicht nachvollziehbare Strukturen. ... Garbarek öffnet in dieser Konstellation Türen in wahrlich ungehörte Klangräume, irgendwo zwischen Jazz, Folk und Kammermusik angesiedelt und doch mit Worten kaum greifbar. \u003cbr\u003eMatthias Inhoffen, Stereoplay\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Jan Garbarek bleibt sich auch hier treu: Seine schwebenden Saxophon-Klänge und verträumten Kompositionen prägen auch diese CD, die er zusammen mit der armenischen Bratschistin Kim Kashkashian und afrikanisch-französischen Perkussionisten Manu Katché eingespielt hat. Traumhaft schön, zeitlos meditative, sinnlich ruhig.\u003cbr\u003e Reinmar Wagner, Musik \u0026amp; Theater\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eViellichke sollte man beim Hören dieses traumschönen Garbarek-Albums mit dem letzten Stück beginnen; viereinhalb Minuten schweben Garbareks Saxophon und Kim Kashkashians Viola in einer schlichten, ganze sechs Noten umfassenden Melodie neben- und meinander, tanzen einen ergreifenden pas des deux, verschmelzen, lösen sich, nähern sich an, immer wieder und wieder. ... In Kim Kashkashian hat Garbarek eine Seelenverwandte gefunden, die seine Ästhetik des Elegischen nicht nur teilt, sondern mit ihrem Instrument geradezu verkörpert. ... Und Manu Katché? Dem Drummer ... fällt die ein wenig undankbare Aufgabe des einfällenden Dritten zu. Seine dunklen Drumsounds liefern erst den notwendigen Hintergrund für die Himmelsflüge von Saxophone und Viola. Neben Garbarek's eindringlichen Kompositionen ist es diese Mischung von Klangfarben, die In Praise of Dreams zu einem umwerfenden Hörerlebnis macht.\u003cbr\u003e Heribert Ickerott, Jazzpodium\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eUne opulence mélodique qui hérissera le poil de ceux qui n'aiment pas chanter sous la douche, mais qui complera ceux qui considerant que le chant, fût-il obsédant ou suggétre, murmuré ou jailli à pleins poumons, est la chair de toute musique. Chez Garbarek, comme chez Keith Jarrett ou Albert Ayler, il ne s'encombre pas de pudeur. Pas de voiles, juste la jouissance. Le dépouillement délibéré de la formula choisie par le saxophoniste (et bidouilleur) – le violon alto de Kim Kashkashian et le drumming de Manu Katché – ampoifie encore le parti pris de ligne claire. Et il ya, dans cet «habillage» des mélodies, une approche minimaliste des timbres qui est un fascinating travail d'orfèvre. À des années lumière des beauties convulsives, mais en plein cœur d'une sensualité plus assumée que jamais par le saxophoniste. Toute tension evacuée, la musique s'élève en volutes dans un «temps» onirique, presque hypnotique. Sous ses apparences «faciles», l'un des disques les plus radicalaux de Jan Garbarek: il n'avait encore jamais poussé le bouchon aussi loin sur le chemin du «less is more». \u003cbr\u003eAlex Dutilh, Jazzman\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e DESCRIPTION\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \"A master storyteller whose tales are set off by bolts of lightning and cascades of ice\"\u003cbr\u003e -Jazz Times\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e \"In Praise of Dreams\" is the first new album from Jan Garbarek since \"Rites\" was released six years ago. A striking work, with some of Garbarek's most intensely melodic writing, characteristically powerful solo statements, and spirited instrumental exchanges, it also emphasizes the Norwegian saxophonist's capacities as composer-orchestrator-arranger, and proposes some new colors and textures in its blending of acoustic and electronic elements. Yet the work's authorship is evident from the very first unmistakable saxophone tone: \"I think more in terms of evolution than revolution,\" Jan Garbarek says, \"the changes in the music taking place slowly over time, but there are some surprises here.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eAlthough the trio heard on the disc is unprecedented, there is also a logic to the unorthodox line-up. \"In Praise of Dreams\" features two musicians with whom Jan Garbarek has some history - American-Armenian violist Kim Kashkashian and African-French drummer Manu Katché. Garbarek, Kashkashian and Katché span a lot of idioms between them, but the music sings with a focused sense of purpose, in the context that Jan has shaped for it. If dreams are movies for the mind, the album is aptly titled - its atmospheres are evocative and decidedly 'filmic'. The use of loops and samples, in fact, only occasionally stressed on earlier Garbarek albums (\"All Those Born With Wings\", \"Visible World\"), has been a hallmark of music Garbarek has written for film, theater and ballet. The most immediately striking aspect of \"In Praise of Dreams\", however, is its dialogic quality, the interweaving melodies of saxophone and viola. \"I was really overwhelmed by the life and the depth that Kim brought to the lines that I presented to her...The way she plays the viola, the sensibility of the phrasing, all the subtleties and nuances of her sound production, it's very close to the way I'd like to play saxophone. There seems to be a very good connection between our timbres, too, which was even more than I had hoped for. The richness in her sound brings the music to another level and gives me something to reach for, in my improvisations. It was inspiring to work with her.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eDescribing Kim Kashkashian as \"a very powerful new agent in my music-making\", Garbarek adds that \"her strong sound had come to define the viola in a new way for me. I'd had many opportunities to listen to her music on ECM recordings through the years, in chamber music or orchestral contexts.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e The paths of Garbarek and Kashkashian had also crossed on several occasions. Both, for instance, were invited to contribute as soloists to music that Greek composer Eleni Karaindrou shaped for the films of Theo Angelopoulos, Garbarek appearing on the soundtrack of \"The Beekeeper\" (and subsequently on Karaindrou's ECM debut \"Music for Films\") and Kashkashian at the center of the music for \"Ulysses' Gaze\". Kim Kashkashian had also been closely associated with Georgian composer Giya Kancheli. On his \"Caris Mere\" album, recorded in 1994\/1995, Kancheli revised his \"Night Prayers\" to include Jan's saxophone, while Kashkashian appeared on the title track.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003eIn 1999, at Norway's Bergen Festival, Jan Garbarek and Kim Kashkashian finally had a chance to play together, in an Armenian Night highlighting the music of composer Tigran Mansurian. \"I played, more or less impromptu, with Kim on an Armenian folk song,\" Jan Garbarek recalls, \"And just being near that sound of hers was really magic for me, and consolidated my feeling that this is the way to play the viola.\" Mansurian subsequently wrote the piece \"Lachrymae\" for Garbarek and Kashkashian, which they perform on the new album \"Monodia\": \"That brought our two sounds even closer together. So when I came to prepare material for 'In Praise of Dreams' Kim's sound was very much in my mind...\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e From her side, Kim Kashkashian was moved by the freedom and authority of Garbarek's magisterial saxophone playing:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003e\"The process of producing a sonority that informs through its content alone has always held a fascination for me. In Jan's playing, I found a thrilling example of this element. Any sound he makes has an inevitable musical and organic logic based on an ever-flowing and unfailing relationship between duration, shape, and tension. It was a challenge and a pleasure to share in this process, which crosses boundaries of musical style – first with Mansurian's music, and then with Jan's own compositions. Thank you, Jan!\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003e CONCERTS\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eYEAR DATE VENUE LOCATION\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 04 Bartok Spring Festival Budapest, Hungary\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 13 Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 April 29 Philharmonie Berlin, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 May 09 Forum Merzhausen Merzhausen, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 May 10 Forum Merzhausen Merzhausen, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 November 13 Theater Coesfeld, Germany \u003cbr\u003e2025 November 15 Vilco Bad Vilbel, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 November 17 Georg-Friedrich Händel Halle Halle, Germany\u003cbr\u003e 2025 November 19 Die Glocke Bremen, Germany\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ECM Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50527976915285,"sku":"In Praise of Dreams, Jan Garbarek","price":25.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1356\/2245\/files\/ECM-Records-In-Praise-of-Dreams-Jan-Garbarek-viniline-plokstele.webp?v=1763545749"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.autogarsas.lt\/en\/collections\/ecm-records.oembed","provider":"AUTOGARSAS.LT","version":"1.0","type":"link"}