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Gary Burton: Picture This

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 06 May 2009 00:25:38 | Comments : 4

Gary Burton: Picture This
Jazz | Time 44:31 | MP3 320k | Size 102 Mb
Released 1982 | Label ECM 1226 | Covers

“One of vibraphonist Gary Burton's lesser-known units was his early-'80s quartet with altoist Jim Odgren, electric bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Mike Hyman. Burton always had the ability to blend in with nearly anyone, and the alto/vibes frontline is attractive. In addition to two obscurities by Odgren, this CD reissue has numbers by three of Burton's favorite composers (Michael Gibbs, Chick Corea and Carla Bley), plus Charles Mingus' "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love." Well-played, if not overly memorable music. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide”
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Pierre Favre: Window Steps

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 05 May 2009 13:40:59 | Comments : 2

Pierre Favre: Window Steps
Jazz | Time 43:13 | MP3 320k | Size 101 Mb
Released 1996 | Label ECM 1584 | Covers

“This ECM release is a bit of a bore. The seven group originals (four by leader-drummer Pierre Favre) emphasize space and rarely develop beyond setting a melancholy mood. Long tones dominate and little seems to happen that is worth hearing and is preferable to silence. The only fire is contributed by trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, particularly when he hits a surprising high note, but his role is fairly minor compared to cellist David Darling, electric bassist Steve Swallow, the soprano of Roberto Ottaviano and the leader. Many ECM releases actually defy the label's early stereotype but this one seems to showcase most of its worst qualities. -- Scott Yanow.”
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Dino Saluzzi: Senderos

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 04 May 2009 20:04:22 | Comments : 4

Dino Saluzzi: Senderos
Jazz | Time 79:00 | MP3 320k | Size 194 Mb
Released 2005 | Label ECM 1845 | Covers

“Though Senderos includes just two players, the nicely layered complexities of their individual approaches to their instruments makes for an incredibly diverse set. Now seventy, Dino Saluzzi is a powerful composer for his instrument the bandoneon (a part of the accordion family). From hymn-like reveries to cabaret songs to folk-based melodies, Dino’s breadth is impressive. When he lets loose with a few lines of wordless singing in "Allá!... en los montes dormidos" it is as if, so swept up in the emotion, he had nowhere else to go but to let it out. Drummer Christensen can be a very quiet presence (he does in fact sit out a few numbers), but that has been a hallmark of his playing as the resiliency of his pulses never waver, even at a whispered volume. --David Greenberger”
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Lena Willemark: Agram

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 04 May 2009 01:30:33 | Comments : 0

Lena Willemark: Agram
Jazz, folk | Time 63:45 | MP3 320k | Size 134 Mb
Released 1996 | Label ECM 1610 | Scan inc.

“Agram represents the second coming of the "Nordan Project" whose 1994 release Nordan was highly acclaimed. Defined by its co-leaders vocalist Lena Willemark and multi-instrumentalist Ale Möller as "a meeting-place for Swedish folk musicians and musicians from the world of improvisation," the group's music is based upon, but not limited by, the Swedish folk tradition.”
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Charles Ives: Sonatas for Violin and Piano

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 03 May 2009 04:53:24 | Comments : 4

Charles Ives: Sonatas for Violin and Piano
Classic | Time 75:55 | MP3 320k | Size 136 Mb
Released 1999 | Label ECM 1605 | Covers

“Hansheinz Schneeberger, Swiss violin virtuoso famed as the musician who premiered Bartók's First Violin Concerto, gives notice here of another of his abiding passions. Schneeberger and Canadian partner Daniel Cholette have been playing Ives's Sonatas for Violin and Piano for more than 20 years, exploring all the complexities of this astonishing music which soloists in Ives' day considered "unplayable." These are the definitive performances.”

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Paul Bley: Sankt Gerold

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 02 May 2009 14:19:26 | Comments : 1

Paul Bley: Sankt Gerold Variations
Avant garde | Time 67:10 | MP3 320k | Size 166 Mb
Released 2000 | Label ECM 1609 | Scan inc.

“Sankt Gerold is named for the Austrian mountain monastery where the trio of Paul Bley, Evan Parker, and Barre Phillips recorded this suite of 12 improvisations. It's fitting, too, because the Alpine air and resonant space are virtually members of the group, amplifying and blending the instrumental voices of musicians who have each made resonance a crucial part of his style: Bley in the calculated hang-time of a note and the dramatic use of silence; Parker in the multiplying contrapuntal lines that have arisen in his work with saxophone overtones and circular breathing; Phillips in the rich, echoing depths and cello-like highs of his bowed bass. ”
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George Gruntz: Concert Jazz Band Theatre

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 01 May 2009 14:05:50 | Comments : 2

George Gruntz: Concert Jazz Band Theatre
Jazz | Time 56:33 | MP3 320k | Size 134 Mb
Released 1984 | Label ECM 1265 | Scan inc.

“George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band. This is a 1983 studio date with 18-piece group. Sheila Jordan singing "No One Can Explain It" is a waterfall of emotion. Lots of Dino Saluzzi on bandoneon, brass heavy. Operatic and soaring. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide ”
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Paul Giger: Ignis

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 30 Apr 2009 21:02:25 | Comments : 2

Paul Giger: Ignis
Classical | Time 72:41 | MP3 320k | Size 167 Mb
Released 2000 | Label ECM 1681 | Covers

“Giger's first album in seven years finds the innovative Swiss violinist exploring new territory - in the distinguished company of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Tõnu Kaljuste, plus cellist Beat Schneider and violist Marius Ungureanu. The material explores the nexus between early music, improvisation and modern composition and includes arrangements of pieces by Hildegarde von Bingen and the monks of St. Gallen as well as new works by Giger. ”
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Barre Phillips: Call Me When You Get There

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 28 Apr 2009 03:43:41 | Comments : 0

Barre Phillips: Call Me When You Get There
Jazz | Time 39:34 | MP3 320k | Size 94 Mb
Released 1984 | Label ECM 1257 | Covers

“Barre Phillips, born 1934 in California, has been at the forefront of developments in improvised music over the last four decades. Ornette Coleman set him on his path around 1960, and on his arrival in New York, Phillips was soon working the extremes of the New Thing – playing improvised chamber music with Jimmy Giuffre on the one hand and freely expressive 'fire music' with Archie Shepp on the other (“it was just two different kinds of intensity”).”
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Michael Caine: Circa

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 27 Apr 2009 13:43:54 | Comments : 0

Michael Caine: Circa
Jazz | Time 53:45 | MP3 320k | Size 125 Mb
Released 1997 | Label ECM 1622 | Covers

“Pianist Michael Cain teams up with trumpeter Ralph Alessi and soprano saxophonist Peter Epstein for some unusual trio performances on this ECM CD. The 11 group originals (by Cain and/or Alessi) alternate complex written-out sections with fairly free group improvising. Epstein's soprano and Alessi's trumpet blend together almost as if they were one person playing two horns simultaneously, while Cain's rumbling keeps the music from ever getting too tonal or comfortable. Ranging from what sounds like chamber music (it is often difficult to determine when the musicians are improvising) to stretched-out long tones and heated sections, this episodic and continually intriguing music is never predictable and rewards repeated listenings. -- Scott Yanow.”
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Sylvie Courvoisier: Abaton

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 25 Apr 2009 14:41:26 | Comments : 2

Sylvie Courvoisier: Abaton
Avant Garde | Time 53:50+52:45 | MP3 320k | Size 241 Mb
Released 2003 | Label ECM 1838 | Front

“ECM debut for Swiss-born and New York-based pianist Sylvie Courvoisier in a wide ranging programme of written and spontaneously-created chamber music. On CD 1 the musicians play Courvoiser’s compositions (which have been compared, by the French press, to Messiaen’s); on CD 2 they improvise together. All three musicians, however, have such a strong sense for structure that the music sings with one voice, irrespective of the modus operandi employed.”
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John Abercrombie, Marc Johnson, Peter Erskine

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 25 Apr 2009 01:58:53 | Comments : 1

John Abercrombie, Marc Johnson, Peter Erskine
Jazz | Time 61:54 | MP3 320k | Size 147 Mb
Released 1988 | Label ECM 1390 | Covers

“An excellent trio outing with Abercrombie, inventive bassist Marc Johnson, and careening drummer Peter Erskine. The trio sometimes unite for piercing interpretations as on "Stella By Starlight," and other times collide and interact on furious rhythm dialogues and extended improvisations.--by Ron Wynn”
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Charlie Mariano and The Karnataka College of Percussion: Jyothi

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 24 Apr 2009 03:49:12 | Comments : 6

Charlie Mariano and The Karnataka College of Percussion: Jyothi
Jazz | Time 46:02 | MP3 320k | Size 111 Mb
Released 1983 | Label ECM 1256 | Covers

“Charlie Mariano wails, winds, and experiments with Karnataka College of Percussionists. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide”
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Kenny Wheeler: A Long Time Ago

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 23 Apr 2009 03:02:38 | Comments : 2

Kenny Wheeler: A Long Time Ago
Jazz | Time 63:44 | MP3 320k | Size 150 Mb
Released 1999 | Label ECM 1691 | Covers

“Although Kenny Wheeler has been writing for jazz orchestras and other large ensembles for more than 40 years, very little of this work is available on disc. All the more reason to welcome "A Long Time Ago", subtitled "Music for Brass Ensemble and Soloists". After some particularly successful concerts in London, local brass players led by Henry Lowther and Derek Watkins insisted that these new Wheeler compositions be documented, and Kenny's long time associate Evan Parker was recruited as producer.”
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Dave Holland: Points of View

Posted By : Rommeo | Date : 22 Apr 2009 14:27:02 | Comments : 0

Dave Holland: Points of View
Jazz | Time 71:54 | MP3 320k | Size 167 Mb
Released 1998 | Label ECM 1663 | Covers

“ECM veteran Holland has reorganized his band, with only vibes/marimba man Steve Nelson retained from the Dream of the Elders line-up. His priorities however remain unchanged. Holland cites the influence of Duke Ellington in his current music, seeking to engage the new listener with the attractive melodic contours of this elegant modern jazz and to hold the attention of the long-term enthusiast with the level of interplay, the rhythmic intensity and the strength of the soloing.”
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