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In 1983, the ubiquitous composers' collective known as Oregon left its old homestead of Vanguard Records and moved over to Manfred Eicher's ECM. It was also one of the final recordings the band did with multi-instrumentalist Collin Walcott; he was killed in a car accident a year later. Here's the strange thing about this date: Since the early '70s, Oregon had been an acoustic, chamber jazz/improvisational group.

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This album surfaced in 1981 from ECM and was just and still is a masterpiece. Steve Eliovson plays with the late Colin Walcott of Oregon fame on percussion. The piece that stands the most is Venice, which was written with the Venice, CA in mind not Italia. . This album is highly recommended.

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Paths, Prints begins with a mournful sax theme (but don't all Garbarek albums start that way?:-) underlaid by Frisell's gossamer guitar chimes and sonorous Weber bass notes. And that pretty much sets the pattern for the whole album; but what a lovely pattern it is. This is music that leaves plenty of open spaces, where the other musicians weave delicate strands around Garbarek's folky themes.

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Considering the staggering volume of his recorded output over the past 40 years, it is no overstatement to call Chick Corea one of the most prolific composers of the second half of the 20th century. "Septet" is an ambitious five movement suite for piano, flute, French horn and string quartet.

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Fasil, based on an idea by guitarist Marc Sinan and author Marc Schiffer, tells of the life of Aisha, the great love and youngest wife of the prophet Mohammed, in the course of an inspired song cycle. The improvisations take as their inspirational starting point fragments of Koran recitations recorded by Marc Sinan in Turkey. Together with Julia Hülsmann’s songs they form an Ottoman suite, a Fasil. Highlights in this transcultural project include exceptional performances by Sinan himself, and by Yelena Kuljić in the role of Aisha. The singer was recently described by the Frankfurter Rundschau as “the most thrilling new voice in the current jazz scene.”

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Superlative piano trio music from Britain's John Taylor joined by American friends Marc Johnson and Joey Baron, and with a repertoire that includes original Taylor tunes, music by friends Kenny Wheeler and Ralph Towner, plus the evergreen "How Deep Is The Ocean"...

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[quote]Those accustomed to Rypdal's jazz and jazz-rock albums may be startled when they discover his extensive work in orchestral composition, although in some ways Rypdal seems to take these pieces closest to heart. Begun in 1979, "Undisonus" (opus 23), a composition for violin and orchestra, slowly grew through additions and revisions over the course of a decade.

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This trio, the root of the Paul Motian Quintet that also included the late Jim Pepper and bass player Ed Schuller, was one of the most musical and "songish" that ECM had ever recorded. All three men are masters of understatement and heartbreakingly beautiful melodic invention, and also possess a collective well of deep lyricism in their improvisations.

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Continuum is a pleasant record, in places even beautiful. Yet, one has to wonder if there wasn't a period in this label's history where otherwise creative musicians weren't taking it a little too easy with their ideas, thinking that ECM's stellar reputation and lineage might carry them through ideatic droughts. "Strahlenspur" is unforgivable, and the rest of the set, though creative, is still lazily made beautiful music.

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It was not until his subsequent outing, Cloud About Mercury, that pioneering electric guitarist David Torn would make a noteworthy splash in the fusion/avant rock scene. Hence, Torn possessed a sound and style on guitar that set him apart from many of his peers. In fact, the artist was and still is a noteworthy proponent of digital technology; however, Torn succeeds where others fail, thanks to his deft expressionism and deeply personalized phraseology.

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Tibbetts makes metallic folk music for disenfranchised folks. He's an elegant and multifaceted player, his compositions making use of exotic jungle rhythms (courtesy of longtime foil Marc Anderson), jazz-rock signatures, and regal European atmospheres. Tibbetts is one of the more idiosyncratic guitarists of the jazz/rock interface, with an uncanny ability to softly fondle his instrument yet rearrange its vocabulary to resemble nothing less than a sitar or tabla.

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In the late 1970s, Keith Jarrett was leading both an American quartet and a European one, though the designations referred strictly to the makeup of the groups, not to the venues they played. These 1979 recordings by the European band were made during a tour of Japan. On five of the pianist's tunes, there's exceptional group interaction between Jarrett and Scandinavians Jan Garbarek, on tenor and soprano sax, Palle Danielsson on bass, and Jon Christensen on drums.

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After many years working with both fellow Norwegian jazzer Jan Gabarek and such stateside talent as Sheila Jordan, Don Cherry, Sam Rivers, and George Russell, bassist Arild Andersen marked the mid-'70s with the first of several ECM sessions to be cut over the following two decades. Featuring regular collaborators like drummer Paal Thowsen, saxophonist Juhani Aaltonen, and pianist Lars Jansson, Andersen's solo outings not only reflected the airy...

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For twenty years electric guitarist Terje Rypdal (and ECM producer Manfred Eicher) have helped define the most sensual,moody, alluring aspects of European jazz and new music. Andwhile Rypdal, the improvising guitarist, may structure his solos and chamber-like accompaniments in the manner of a jazz or classical composer, there's a lyric, rock edge to his guitar playing that will transport anyone who has ever contemplated the vocal cry of a Fender Stratocaster driven into distortion.

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This is a wonderful recording which showcases the talents of all four musicians. Andersen's bass work is (as ever) superb, and Frisell's playing is very representative for this time period (early 80s) with fluid, melodic solos linked with Hendrix influenced distortion. John Taylor deserves special mention for his lyrical solos which remind me of Keith Jarret, Lyle Mays, and Bill Evans. A very rewarding recording with fine bonus tracks on this reissue!

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