Konstantia Gourzi - Anájikon (2021 ECM Records)

Anájikon, the second ECM album after Music for piano and string quartet (ECM New Series 2309) by Athens-born and Munich-based Konstantia Gourzi, incorporates her chamber and orchestral music of the past decade. The composer also conducts the Lucerne Academy Orchestra here: "I see composing and conducting as a whole, as an inseparable relationship," she says. Gourzi is particularly concerned with making connections between the arts, which also relates to the question of her own artistic identity and the influence of her origins. In Gourzi's sound language, elements of different musical traditions repeatedly merge, and East and West enter into a dialogue. This album presents three of her compositions: her Third String Quartet Anájikon, her orchestral piece Ny-él (commissioned by the Lucerne Festival, in August 2016 with the orchestra of the Lucerne Festival Academy) as well as Hommage à Mozart, three Dialogues.

KONSTANTIA GOURZI - HOMMAGE À MOZART, OP. 56

1. I con eleganza, intense, tanzend 05:28

2. II singing, sostenuto, dreamish 03:49

3. III scherzoso, ma calmo 05:41

KONSTANTIA GOURZI - NY-ÉL - TWO ANGELS IN THE WHITE GARDEN, OP. 65

4. Eviction 03:16

5. Exodus 04:34

6. Longing 02:45

7. The White Garden 06:06

KONSTANTIA GOURZI - ANÁJIKON - THE ANGEL IN THE BLUE GARDEN, OP. 61

8. The Blue Rose 04:37

9. The Blue Bird 05:13

10. The Blue Moon - The Bright Side 04:24

11. The Blue Moon - Turning 00:48

12. The Blue Moon - The Dark Side 03:57

Konstantia Gourzi   Composer and Conductor

Nils Mönkemeyer   Viola

William Youn   Piano

Lucerne Academy Orchestra   

Minguet Quartett

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Cymin Samawatie / Ketan Bhatti / Trickster Orchestra (2021 ECM Records)

Singer Cymin Samawatie and percussionist Ketan Bhatti from the Berlin-based group Cyminology apply their poetic musical language on a larger scale with the Trickster Orchestra. Under Cymin and Ketan’s artistic direction, the orchestra interprets their characteristic blend of transcultural modern music. Cymin draws inspiration from traditional verses, spanning psalms to texts by Sufi poets Rumi and Hafiz, this time around performing lyrics not only in Farsi but also in Hebrew, Turkish and Arabic. With the growth of instrumentation comes an expansion of dynamics, textures and colours.

1. SHIR HAMAALOT (Cymin Samawatie, Ketan Bhatti) 05:05

2. HAST HUSSLE II (Ketan Bhatti) 07:09

3. HAFEN VOR TOUNSIBUURG (Ketan Bhatti) 07:20

4. TOUNSIBUURG (Ketan Bhatti) 05:46

5. GEBETE (Cymin Samawatie) 04:17

6. MODARA (Cymin Samawatie) 07:15

7. KORDS KONTINUUM (Ketan Bhatti) 09:52

8. KESKE (Cymin Samawatie, Ketan Bhatti) 07:12

9. POR SE SSEDAA (Cymin Samawatie) 07:19

Cymin Samawatie   Vocals

Ketan Bhatti   Drums

Trickster Orchestra

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Jakob Bro / Arve Henriksen / Jorge Rossy - Uma Elmo (ECM Records)

With Uma Elmo, his fifth album as a leader for ECM, Danish guitarist Jakob Bro presents a new trio featuring Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen and Spanish drummer Jorge Rossy. Astonishingly, given the trio’s musical synergy, the first time these three musicians ever performed together was for the album’s sessions at the Swiss Radio studio in Lugano, with ECM founder Manfred Eicher producing. Uma Elmo reaffirms the observation about Bro’s work by London Jazz News that “there is no hurry to this music, but there is great depth.” Among the album’s highlights is opener “Reconstructing a Dream,” a darkly lyrical reverie. “To Stanko” is Bro’s hushed tribute to the late, great Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, who featured the guitarist in his quintet for the ECM album Dark Eyes. Another homage to a late elder is “Music for Black Pigeons,” which was given its evocative title by saxophone sage Lee Konitz. Listeners will recognize Henriksen’s whispering, poetic sound from his 2008 ECM album Cartography, as well as his collaborations for the label with Trio Mediaeval and Tigran Hamasyan. Rossy is well known to jazz fans on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly for his decade-plus tenure in Brad Mehldau’s career-making first trio. As for the leader, DownBeat aptly noted in its review of his previous ECM album, Bay of Rainbows, that “Bro’s guitar is luminous… his music both hypnotic and dramatic.”

1. RECONSTRUCTING A DREAM (Jakob Bro) 09:17

2. TO STANKO (Jakob Bro) 04:33

3. BEAUTIFUL DAY (Jakob Bro) 05:03

4. MORNING SONG (Jakob Bro) 06:55

5. HOUSEWORK (Jakob Bro) 11:05

6. MUSIC FOR BLACK PIGEONS (Jakob Bro) 07:54

7. SOUND FLOWER (Jakob Bro) 05:55

8. SLARAFFENLAND (Jakob Bro) 03:52

9. MORNING SONG (VAR.) (Jakob Bro) 07:07

Jakob Bro: Guitar

Arve Henriksen: Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet

Jorge Rossy: Drums

CONCERTS

October 19

Jakob Bro Porgy&Bess Vienna Austria

October 20

Jakob Bro MOMkult Budapest Hungary

November 09

Jakob Bro Village Vanguard New York, NY United States of America

November 10

Jakob Bro Village Vanguard New York, NY United States of America

November 11

Jakob Bro Village Vanguard New York, NY United States of America

November 12

Jakob Bro Village Vanguard New York, NY United States of America

November 13

Jakob Bro Village Vanguard New York, NY United States of America

November 14

Jakob Bro Village Vanguard New York, NY United States of America

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Shai Maestro / Jorge Roeder / Ofri Nehemya / Philip Dizack - Human (ECM Records)

In its review of pianist Shai Maestro’s ECM leader debut The Dream Thief, All About Jazz spoke of “a searching lyrical atmosphere, emotional eloquence and communal virtuosity that serves the music.” All of which also applies to Human, where Maestro’s outgoing, highly-communicative band with fellow Israeli Ofri Nehemya on drums and Peruvian bassist Jorge Roeder becomes a quartet with the inspired addition of US trumpeter Philip Dizack. Shai’s expansive pianism is well-matched by Dizack’s alert, quick-thinking approach to improvising. And, as ever, Maestro is taking the music forward while also respecting its sense of tradition. Near the end of a programme comprised almost entirely of Maestro originals, exploring a range of temperaments, the quartet offers its own take on Duke Ellington’s “In A Sentimental Mood”, while Shai’s tune “Hank and Charlie” pays tribute to the musical empathy shared by the late Hank Jones and Charlie Haden. Human was recorded at Studios la Buissonne in the South of France in February 2020, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

1. TIME (Shai Maestro) 03:23

2. MYSTERY AND ILLUSIONS (Shai Maestro) 08:32

3. HUMAN (Shai Maestro) 02:34

4. GG (Shai Maestro) 04:44

5. THE THIEF’S DREAM (Shai Maestro) 07:53

6. HANK AND CHARLIE (Shai Maestro) 04:41

7. COMPASSION (Shai Maestro) 03:24

8. PRAYER (Shai Maestro) 04:26

9. THEY WENT TO WAR (Shai Maestro) 05:22

10. IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD (Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Manny Kurtz) 05:47

11. IMA (FOR TALMA MAESTRO) (Shai Maestro) 05:32

Shai Maestro: Piano

Jorge Roeder: Double Bass

Ofri Nehemya: Drums

Philip Dizack: Trumpet

CONCERTS

April 08

Shai Maestro Trio Theatre de la Manufacture Nancy France

April 15

Shai Maestro Trio Tourcoing Jazz Tourcoing France

April 16

Shai Maestro Trio La Briqueterie Schiltigheim France

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Joe Lovano / Marilyn Crispell / Carmen Castaldi - Garden of Expression (ECM Records)

The debut album of Joe Lovano’s Trio Tapestry was one of 2019’s most talked-about releases. The trio’s musical concept – the Boston Globe spoke of “utterances of hushed assurance, lyricism and suspense” - is taken to the next level on its second album, Garden of Expression, a recording distinguished by its intense focus. Lovano, a saxophonist whose reach extends across the history of modern jazz and beyond, plays with exceptional sensitivity in Trio Tapestry. And the music he writes for this group - tenderly melodic or declamatory, harmonically open, rhythmically free, and spiritually involving - encourages subtle and differentiated responses from his creative partners. Joe describes their interaction as “magical”. Carmen Castaldi’s space-conscious approach to drumming further refines an improvisational understanding that he and Lovano have shared since the 1970s. The trio is also a wonderful context for Marilyn Crispell’s solos, counter melodies, and improvisational embellishments, and her feeling for sound-colour helps the chamber music character of the group to flower. The details of the music are beautifully realized in this recording made in the highly responsive acoustics of the Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI in Lugano and produced by Manfred Eicher.

1. CHAPEL SONG (Joe Lovano) 06:05

2. NIGHT CREATURES (Joe Lovano) 06:45

3. WEST OF THE MOON (Joe Lovano) 05:47

4. GARDEN OF EXPRESSION (Joe Lovano) 07:33

5. TREASURED MOMENTS (Joe Lovano) 05:03

6. THE SACRED CHANT (Joe Lovano) 03:14

7. DREAM ON THAT (Joe Lovano) 03:06

8. ZEN LIKE (Joe Lovano) 10:41

Joe Lovano: Tenor and Soprano Saxophones, Tarogato, Gongs

Marilyn Crispell: Piano

Carmen Castaldi: Drums

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Erkki-Sven Tüür - Lost Prayers (ECM Records)

Lost Prayers is the first of Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür’s New Series recordings to be devoted entirely to his chamber music. Scaled-back instrumental forces, however, are no indicator of reduced expressive power, and the volatility of Tüür’s “vectorial” concept emerges forcefully from the first seconds of Fata Morgana which is, with Lichttürme, one of two pieces for violin, violoncello and piano. These pieces are performed by the Estonian trio of Harry Traksmann, Leho Karin and Marrit Gerretz-Traksmann, all of whom have played Tüür’s music extensively and appeared on earlier ECM discs, including Crystallisatio and Oxymoron. The German-based Signum Quartett plays Tüür’s Second String Quartet, Lost Prayers, and Signum violinist Florian Donderer also performs Synergie together with cellist Tanja Tetzlaff. Collectively the musicians underline Erkki-Sven Tüür’s view that “one can build up a really rich and wide palette of sounds with only three or four instruments. You don’t necessarily need a full orchestra to operate with a powerful soundscape. The album was recorded at Bremen’s Sendesaal in April 2019.

1. ERKKI-SVEN TÜÜR - FATA MORGANA for Violin, Violoncello and Piano 13:31

2. ERKKI-SVEN TÜÜR - SYNERGIE for Violin and Violoncello 11:06

3. STRING QUARTET NO. 2 'LOST PRAYERS' (Erkki-Sven Tüür) 14:09

4. ERKKI-SVEN TÜÜR - LICHTTÜRME for Piano Trio 15:54

Erkki-Sven Tüür   

Harry Traksmann: Violin

Florian Donderer: Violin

Leho Karin: Violoncello

Marrit Gerretz-Traksmann: Piano

Tanja Tetzlaff: Violoncello

Signum Quartett

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Elina Duni - Lost Ships (ECM Records)

 

Elina Duni and Rob Luft’s programme of songs of love and exile has been gathering momentum since 2017, when the Albanian-Swiss singer and the British guitarist began their collaboration. Along the way the duo has been augmented by distinguished guests, with Swiss flugelhornist Matthieu Michel and UK pianist/percussionist Fred Thomas here making significant contributions to the overarching concept. The migration crisis, a theme explored on Elina’s Partir album, is again a central issue, so too ecological concerns. Material is drawn from many sources: “There are songs that touch upon past influences, with the sound of Albania and Mediterranean folklore ever-present. We wanted to explore other musical roots, too: timeless jazz ballads, French chanson, American folk song…” The broad range of music addressed runs from traditional pieces to original compositions, via songs made famous by Frank Sinatra and Charles Aznavour. Lost Ships was recorded at Studios la Buissonne in the South of France in February 2020.

1. BELLA CI DORMI (Traditional) 06:52

2. BRIGHTON (Elina Duni, Rob Luft) 05:44

3. I’M A FOOL TO WANT YOU (Frank Sinatra, Jack Wolf , Joel Herron) 04:27

4. NUMB (Elina Duni, Rob Luft) 06:32

5. LOST SHIPS (Elina Duni, Rob Luft) 05:22

6. THE WAYFARING STRANGER (Traditional) 05:12

7. FLYING KITES (Elina Duni, Rob Luft) 04:52

8. LUX (Elina Duni, Rob Luft) 05:21

9. KUR MË DEL NË DERË (Traditional) 04:09

10. N’AT ZAMAN (Traditional) 04:26

11. EMPTY STREET (Elina Duni, Rob Luft) 01:52

12. HIER ENCORE (Charles Aznavour) 03:44

Elina Duni: Voice

Rob Luft: Guitar

Fred Thomas: Piano, Drums

Matthieu Michel: Flugelhorn

CONCERTS

March 12

Elina Duni/Rob Luft Zum Hut Uster Switzerland

March 13

Elina Duni / Rob Luft Le Singe Bienne Switzerland

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Tigran Mansurian - Con anima (ECM Records)

Conceived jointly by violinist Movses Pogossian and violist Kim Kashkashian on the occasion of Tigran Mansurian’s 80th birthday, the Con anima project brings together a dedicated cast of players to perform the Armenian composer’s chamber music. The emphasis is on newer pieces - only the Third String Quartet dates from the 20th century - but there is a timeless quality to Mansurian’s work, all of which resounds with the spirit of his homeland. “His works are full of signifiers that come from Armenian ornaments, paintings or stones, “ writes Elena Dubinets in the CD notes. “His music itself feels as if it was carved out of stone.” Sonata da Chiesa is dedicated to the memory of priest-composer-folklorist Komitas, an enduring inspiration for Mansurian. Agnus Dei is influenced by Armenian sacred music, and Die Tänzerin is based upon an Armenian folk dance.

TIGRAN MANSURIAN - AGNUS DEI

1. Agnus Dei (Larghetto) 06:56

2. Qui tollis peccata mundi (Andante)03:58

3. Miserere nobis 04:09

TIGRAN MANSURIAN - SONATA DA CHIESA

4. Tranquillo ma con moto07:54

5. Andante, leggiero 08:07

TIGRAN MANSURIAN - CON ANIMA

6. Tranquillo e poco libero – Moderato con moto, semplice 14:19

TIGRAN MANSURIAN - STRING TRIO

7. Moderato, con moto 02:53

8. Vivacissimo, con fuoco 03:58

9. Grave 06:06

TIGRAN MANSURIAN - STRING QUARTET NO.3

10. Grave06:53

11. Scherzando04:13

12. Adagio 05:49

TIGRAN MANSURIAN - DIE TÄNZERIN

13. Allegro energico 04:00

Tigran Mansurian

Kim Kashkashian: Viola

Movses Pogossian: Violin

Varty Manouelian: Violin

Boris Allakhverdyan: Clarinet

Michael Kaufman: Violoncello

Steven Vanhauwaert: Piano

Tatevik Mokatsian: Piano

Teng Li: Viola

Karen Ouzounian: Violoncello

CONCERTS

March 11

Elina Duni/Rob Luft

Jazz Festival Zug Switzerland

March 12

Elina Duni/Rob Luft

Zum Hut Uster Switzerland

March 13

Elina Duni/Rob Luft

Le Singe Bienne Switzerland

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Dino Saluzzi - Albores (ECM Records)

An album of soliloquies from the master.  After highly acclaimed albums in formations from duo and trio to family band and orchestra, here is the great Argentinean bandoneon player Dino Saluzzi in his first purely solo recording in more than 30 years. (The early solo albums Kultrum and Andina established his reputation outside his homeland). Recorded in the Saluzzi Music Studio in Buenos Aires between February and June 2019, it is a powerful reminder of Dino’s gifts as a musical storyteller of great subtlety.  His pieces, in this intimate recording, reach back to early memories; “Don Caye”, subtitled “Variations on the work of Cayetano Saluzzi”, is a most touching dedication to Dino’s  father.  Throughout, the bandoneonist reflects upon the fleeting passage of time, instrument and performer breathing as one.

1. ADIÓS MAESTRO KANCHELI (Dino Saluzzi) 03:56

2. AUSENCIAS (Dino Saluzzi) 04:58

3. SEGÚN ME CUENTA LA VIDA – MILONGA (Dino Saluzzi) 07:01

4. ÍNTIMO (Dino Saluzzi) 05:42

5. LA CRUZ DEL SUR (2DA CADENCIA) (Dino Saluzzi) 07:43

6. ÉCUYÈRE (Dino Saluzzi) 06:19

7. FICCIÓN (Dino Saluzzi) 04:35

8. DON CAYE – VARIACIONES SOBRE OBRA DE CAYETANO SALUZZI (Dino Saluzzi) 09:26

9. OFRENDA – TOCATA (Dino Saluzzi) 11:57

Dino Saluzzi: Bandoneon

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Keith Jarrett - Budapest Concert 2-CD (ECM Records)

The second complete show to be issued from Keith Jarrett’s 2016 European tour – following on from the widely-acclaimed concert released as Munich 2016 - this double album documents the pianist’s solo performance at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall in Budapest. Jarrett, whose family roots reach back to Hungary, viewed the Budapest concert as akin to a homecoming, and the context inspired much creative improvisation. Where Jarrett’s early solo concerts shaped a large arc of music over the course of an evening, the later concerts have generated suite-like structures, comprised of independent “movements”, each of them a marvel of spontaneous resourcefulness. Creative energy is applied also to familiar songs given as encores, “It’s A Lonesome Old Town” and “Answer Me”, transformed in the Budapest concert.

Keith Jarrett: Piano

CD 1

1. PART I (Keith Jarrett) 14:42

2. PART II (Keith Jarrett) 06:54

3. PART III (Keith Jarrett) 08:10

4. PART IV (Keith Jarrett) 07:35

CD 2

1. PART V (Keith Jarrett) 05:13

2. PART VI (Keith Jarrett) 03:52

3. PART VII (Keith Jarrett) 05:45

4. PART VIII (Keith Jarrett) 05:35

5. PART IX (Keith Jarrett) 02:42

6. PART X (Keith Jarrett) 08:40

7. PART XI (Keith Jarrett) 05:54

8. PART XII – BLUES (Keith Jarrett) 04:04

9. IT’S A LONESOME OLD TOWN (Harry Tobias, Charles Kisco) 08:01

10. ANSWER ME (Gerhard Winkler, Fred Rauch) 04:55

Danish String Quartet - Prism I (ECM RECORDS 2018)

For its third ECM release, the prize-winning Danish String Quartet inaugurates a series of five albums with the overarching title of Prism, in which the group will present one of Beethoven’s late string quartets in the context of a related fugue by J.S. Bach as well as a linked masterwork from the quartet literature. With Prism 1, it’s the first of Beethoven’s late quartets, op. 127 in E-flat Major, alongside Bach’s fugue in the same key (arranged by Mozart) and Dmitri Shostakovich’s final string quartet, the No. 15 in E-flat minor.

Danish String Quartet

Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, Violin

Frederik Øland, Violin

Asbjørn Nørgaard, Viola

Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin, Violoncello

TRACKLIST

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH - THE WELL-TEMPERED PIANO

1 Fugue in E-flat major, BWV 876 (arr. Mozart) 02:02

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH - QUARTET NO. 15 IN E-FLAT MINOR, OP. 144

2 Elegy. Adagio 13:27

3 Serenade. Adagio 06:11

4 Intermezzo. Adagio 01:36

5 Nocturne. Adagio 04:23

6 Funeral March. Adagio molto 05:03

7 Epilogue. Adagio 06:49

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN - QUARTET NO.12 IN E-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 127

8 Maestoso – Allegro 06:45

9 Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile 16:23

10 Scherzo. Vivace 08:24

11 Finale. Allegro 07:06

Sungjae Son: Near East Quartet (ECM RECORDS 2018)

The Near East Quartet has been a force in Korean music since 2010, juxtaposing elements of contemporary jazz and traditional Korean music with pure sound exploration to create new forms. Saxophonist/clarinettist Sungjae Son and guitarist Suwuk Chung have  been members from the outset, and the group has been strengthened with the integration of pansori singer Yulhee Kim and highly creative drummer Soojin Suh. On their ECM debut the NEQ plays five compositions by Sungjae Son and three Korean traditionals. Near East Quartet was recorded in Seoul, and mixed at Studios La Buissonne. Producer: Sun Chung.

Tord Gustavsen Trio - The Other Side (ECM RECORDS 2018)

“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.

Tord Gustavsen, Piano

Sigurd Hole, Double Bass

Jarle Vespestad, Drums

1 THE TUNNEL (Tord Gustavsen) 06:02

Play 2 KIRKEN, DEN ER ET GAMMELT HUS (Ludvig Mathias Lindeman) 05:13

3 RE-MELT (Tord Gustavsen) 05:15

4 DUALITY (Tord Gustavsen) 04:35

5 INGEN VINNER FREM TIL DEN EVIGE RO (Tord Gustavsen) 03:50

6 TASTE AND SEE (Tord Gustavsen) 03:13

7 SCHLAFES BRUDER (J. S. Bach) 04:51

8 JESU MEINE FREUDE / JESUS, DET ENESTE (J. S. Bach) 04:27

9 THE OTHER SIDE (Tord Gustavsen) 03:23

10 O TRAURIGKEIT (J. S. Bach) 03:31

11 LEFT OVER LULLABY NO.4 (Tord Gustavsen) 02:26

12 CURVES (Tord Gustavsen) 06:19

Dénes Várjon - De La Nuit (ECM RECORDS 2018)

“Negotiating dynamic shifts of emphasis,” The Independent has noted,”Dénes Várjon displays that most valuable of gifts: the ability to play in a way which makes you listen anew to the familiar.”  This capacity is to the fore in the Hungarian pianist’s sensitive exploration of Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit and Bartók’s Im Freien – a journey through three worlds of poetic imagination. As Jürg Stenzl writes in the liner notes. “All three works were bold forays into fundamentally new music that far transcended the limits of their time. They require pianists for whom transcendent virtuosity is second nature. ”  The album was recorded at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano in April 2016, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Dénes Várjon   Piano

TRACKLIST

ROBERT SCHUMANN - PHANTASIESTÜCKE OP.12

1 Des Abends

2 Aufschwung

3 Warum?

4 Grillen

5 In der Nacht

6 Fabel

7 Traumes Wirren

8 Ende vom Lied

MAURICE RAVEL - GASPARD DE LA NUIT

9 Ondine

10 Le Gibet

11 Scarbo

BÉLA BARTÓK - IM FREIEN

12 Mit Trommeln und Pfeifen

13 Barcarolla

14 Musette

15 Klänge der Nacht

16 Hetzjagd

John Abercrombie - Open Land: Meeting John Abercrombie (ECM RECORDS 2018)

An intimate portrait of a great guitarist, filmed near the end of his musical journey. Here we see John Abercrombie gigging with Gary Versace and Adam Nussbaum in Lichtenstein, jamming with Rob Sheps, Eliot Zigmund and David Kingsnorth in New York, teaching music students at Purchase College, talking guitars with NYC luthier Ric McCurdy, and hanging out at home with wife Lisa and Al the cat. Along the way John reflects, with characteristic good humor, on a creative life lived outside the mainstream and traces his story from his first encounter with an electric guitar onwards. Subtly combining and contrasting images and sound, director Arno Oehri achieves a fine balance between music passages and interviews. The film’s soundtrack includes, in addition to the live performances, selections from many of John Abercrombie’s ECM recordings.

John Abercrombie

Adam Nussbaum

Gary Versace

1 SAD SONG - NYC (John Abercrombie)

2 FIRST GUITARS (John Abercrombie)

3 NEW MCCURDY GUITAR (John Abercrombie)

4 CHILDHOOD (John Abercrombie)

5 WITHIN A SONG - GREENWICH (John Abercrombie)

6 FIRST STEPS INTO JAZZ (John Abercrombie)

7 BANSHEE - FLIGHT TO EUROPE (John Abercrombie)

8 ADAM NUSSBAUM - GARY VERSACE (John Abercrombie)

9 ANOTHER RALPH'S - JAZZTAGE TANGENTE 2014 (John Abercrombie)

10 BOSTON YEARS (John Abercrombie)

11 39 STEPS (John Abercrombie)

12 FIRST RECORDING (John Abercrombie)

13 WORK WITH ECM (John Abercrombie)

14 LISA (John Abercrombie)

15 CLASS TRIP - HOME (John Abercrombie)

16 THE FIRE (John Abercrombie)

17 JAM SESSION (John Abercrombie)

18 PLAYING & COMPOSING (John Abercrombie)

19 TIMELESS (John Abercrombie)

20 CREDITS (John Abercrombie)

Dine Doneff - Rousilvo (ECM RECORDS 2018)

Macedonian composer/multi-instrumentalist Dine Doneff (or Kostas Theodorou, his Greek citizenship name) presents his Balkan-Jazz Folk Opera – Rousilvo. Heavily influenced by the culture of his homeland, Doneff, creates a musical fabric through open dialogue among the members of a septet. A polyphony of seven women’s voices, interspersed with extracts from numerous authentic field recordings, complete a narration of expanding rhythmic and melodic forms.

Rousilvo is the old, Slavic name of the village of Xanthogeia, in north-western Greece. The village’s name, and its Slav-Macedonian speaking community, fell victim to the policy of the Greek state to forcibly “Hellenize” the land and its people. At the end of the Greek Civil War (1946-49) most of the women in the village were left alone for the rest of their lives; their husbands either killed or exiled. Since 1986 the village has been uninhabitated as a result of long-lasting social marginalization.

Ten compositions, alternating with location recordings of the surviving elderly residents of the village (sometimes singing, at times narrating their stories) salvaging and transforming a treasure trove, an elegy, of a vanishing poetry.

Dine Doneff Double Bass, Tabla, Guitar

Takis Farazis Piano, Accordion

Kyriakos Tapakis Oud, Mandola

Pantelis Stoikos Trumpet

Dimos Dimitriadis Alto Saxophone, Flute

Antonis Andreou Trombone

Kostas Anastasiadis Drums

Slava Pop'va-Evdoxia Georgiou Voice

Lizeta Kalimeri Voice

Martha Mavroidi Voice

Lada Kandarjieva Soprano

Elena Ginina Soprano

Elitsa Dankova Mezzo

Irina Gotcheva Alto

1 NARRATIVE (Dine Doneff) 03:16

2 PENELOPES OF XANTHOGEIA (Dine Doneff) 00:01 -  05:05

3 OBLIVION (Dine Doneff) 03:14

4 MIRKA (Dine Doneff) 07:30

5 NATSKO (Dine Doneff) 01:14

6 REQUIEM (Dine Doneff) 06:33

7 AJDE SL'NTSE ZAJDI (Traditional Macedonian) 01:10

8 APATRIS (Dine Doneff) 04:57

9 KAIMAKTSALAN (Dine Doneff) 05:01

10 IMPLACABLE GRIEF (Dine Doneff) 02:02

11 SONG OF THE UNQUIETNESS (Dine Doneff) 06:50

12 AS A STORY (Dine Doneff) 05:00

Anouar Brahem - Blue Maqams (ECM 2017)

Released on the occasion of Anouar Brahem’s 60th birthday, Blue Maqams offers 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 Thimar album. 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. Blue Maqams is a highlight of ECM’s autumn season. Live appearances by the quartet will follow in 2018.

1 OPENING DAY (Anouar Brahem) 07:01

2 LA NUIT (Anouar Brahem) 10:28

3 BLUE MAQAMS (Anouar Brahem) 08:41

4 BAHIA (Anouar Brahem) 08:45

5 LA PASSANTE (Anouar Brahem) 04:05

6 BOM DIA RIO (Anouar Brahem) 09:23

7 PERSEPOLIS'S MIRAGE (Anouar Brahem) 08:06

8 THE RECOVERED ROAD TO AL-SHAM (Anouar Brahem) 09:26

9 UNEXPECTED OUTCOME (Anouar Brahem) 10:59

Anouar Brahem   Oud

Dave Holland   Double Bass

Jack DeJohnette   Drums

Django Bates   Piano