Your top 20 ECM releases.

Now you are asking.

Here is a thread I started back in 2004 that has some good recommendations
https://forums.naimaudio.com/ev...=705105083#705105083

and another good thread with both ECM and non ECM.
https://forums.naimaudio.com/ev...=67019385&p=1&cdra=Y

I will have a go later at coming up with my current definitve list but there is one album I will start off with that is ambient that might be right up your street (although slow and sparse). It gets released on vinyl next month as well.

I'm not sure I want to attempt a top 20 list - frankly it sounds too much like hard work . However, I bought a friend this CD for Christmas and recommend it to anyone who will listen:



It's a collection of Spanish & Portugese songs b
scored for piano and viola, with the latter instrument tking the part that would usually be sung. A really delightful disc.

Also, if you're into the freer end of jazz you really need to hear some Louis Sclavis, who was once the enfant terrible of the French jazz scene and remains a towering presence in European jazz. I saw his trio live a couple of years ago and they blew me away. I recommend this:



Go here for a live clip:

Napoli's Walls (7/7)

The fun really starts at around the 2 minute mark.

It'll be a very short list as I only have 2 ECM's.
St Germain Tourist
Pat Metheny 80/81

quote:

Originally posted by BigH47:
It'll be a very short list as I only have 2 ECM's.
St Germain Tourist
Pat Metheny 80/81

Howard, try again - St Germain Tourist is definitely NOT on ECM Not really Manfred's style...

quote:

Originally posted by Lontano:

quote:

Originally posted by BigH47:
It'll be a very short list as I only have 2 ECM's.
St Germain Tourist
Pat Metheny 80/81

Howard, try again - St Germain Tourist is definitely NOT on ECM Not really Manfred's style...

You are right, it's on Blue Note . I thought it was rather good for ECM!

I think that Electronic Counter Measures should not be discussed in the open.

Hi Dean,

I don't know about twenty albums, which does feel too much like work, but here are some of my favorite artists which record on ECM. I tend to think more about the artist than the label, even a great label like ECM, and these artists all have a unique artistry, and in the case of long running performers, they really have different feels by the era or fellow performers, etc.

Here are some of my favorites for you:

1) Ralph Towner
2) Keith Jarrett
3) John Abercrombie
4) Egberto Gismonti
5) Jan Garbarek
7) Codona
8) Chick Corea with Gary Burton
9) Thord Gustavsen
10)Pat Metheny
11)Eberhard Weber
12)Stefano Bollani
13)Charles Lloyd
14)Anouar Brahem
15)Steve Tibbetts

Good listening,

Bruce

As I always say in these threads, way too many favorite ECM albums to whittle down to a fixed, definitive top 20, but these 20 will certainly suffice for now:

Paul Bley - Open, to Love
Bill Frisell - Rambler
Jan Garbarek with The Hilliard Ensemble - Officium
Jan Garbarek - I Took Up the Runes
Egberto Gismonti - Dança Das Cabeças
Charlie Haden, Jan Garbarek, Egberto Gismonti - Magico
Dave Holland - Conference of the Birds
Keith Jarrett - Belonging
Keith Jarrett - Facing You
Keith Jarrett - Personal Mountains
Art Lande - Rubisa Patrol
Charles Lloyd - The Water Is Wide
Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life
Arvo Pärt - Tabula rasa
Steve Reich - Music For 18 Musicians
Steve Swallow - Home
Ralph Towner - Solstice
Eberhard Weber - The Colours Of Chloë
Eberhard Weber - Fluid Rustle
Kenny Wheeler - Gnu High

I could easily put together at least two more lists of 20.

And here's another 20 right away:

John Abercrombie - Gateway
John Abercrombie - Characters
Anouar Brahem - Le pas du chat noir
Gary Burton - Dreams So Real
Bill Frisell - In Line
Jan Garbarek - Photo With Blue Sky, White Cloud, Wires, Windows And A Red Roof
Jon Hassell - Power Spot (with Brian Eno)
Keith Jarrett - Sun Bear Concerts
Keith Jarrett - Arbour Zena
Marc Johnson - Bass Desires
Pat Metheny/Lyle Mays - As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls
Pat Metheny Group - First Circle
Nils Petter Molvær - Solid Ether
Arvo Pärt - Alina
Enrico Rava & Stefano Bollani - The Third Man
Terje Rypdal - Waves
Ralph Towner - Blue Sun
Vassilis Tsabropoulos/Anja Lechner - Chants, Hymns and Dances
Eberhard Weber - Silent Feet
Eberhard Weber - Little Movements


... I could go on like this for days.

As for a few of my fave ECM's, here goes.

Peter Erskine - Time Being
Jan Garbarek - I Took Up The Runes
Kenny Wheeler - Widow in the Window
Anouar Brahem - Le Pas De Chat Noir
Arild Andersen - If You Look Far Enough
Arve Henriksen - Cartography
Charles Lloyd - Notes From Big Sur
Keith Jarrett - Personal Mountains, Belongings, My Song, Sun Bear
Dave Holland - Extensions
David Darling - Cycles
Enrico Rava - Easy Living
Eberhard Weber - take your pick from the many good ones
John Abercrombie - Wait Til You See HEr
John Surman - Road to St Ives
Marcin Wasilewski Trio - January
Tomasz Stanko - Dark Eyes, Lontano
Mathias Eick - The Door
Nik Bartsch - Holon, Llyria
Pat Metheny - Travels, Works, 80/81, First Circle, Offramp
Keith Jarrett Trio - Whisper Not, My Foolish Heart
Rainer Bruninghaus - Freigeweht
Steve Eliovson - Dawn Dance
Terje Rypdal - Waves
Tord Gustavsen - The Ground
Trygve Seim/Andreas Utnem - Purcor
Wolfert Brederode - Currents

Thanks guys,

I'm going to need to work harder next year to afford all the music I want unless the economy snaps back into place, but its good to have something to aim for.



Dean...

I love this forum for such tips!
Thanks folks,

Ralf

Out of interest, it seems that the entire ECM catalogue has been removed from Spotify. I guess that it did not pay for the label and as a result they were losing CD sales. Interesting development.

Not to sound too pretentious but ECM is an enthusiasts label and you have to be looking for ECM's type of artists to know about its existence. Jazz, Classical and World music are really for the likes of us who look outside of mainstream indie and commercial artists for our fix of great music. So I'm not surprised about it being removed from Spotify.



Dean..

quote:

Originally posted by Lontano:
... Interesting development.

I would call it a tragedy.

My top twenty of the ones I have heard so far...

David Darling - Cycles
Steve Eliovson - Dawn Dance
Paul Bley - Open to Love
Charles Lloyd - Fish Out Of Water
Michael Galasso - Scenes
Art Lande - Desert Marauders
Tom Van Der Geld- Patience
Michael Naura - Country Children
Dave Liebman - Look Out Farm
Anouar Brahem - The Astounding Eyes Of Rita
Katrina Krimsky - Stella Malu
Paul Motian Trio - Le Voyage
John Surman - Such Winters Of Memory
Marc Johnson - Bass Desires
Andy Shepard - Movements In Colour
Marilyn Crispell - One Dark Night...
Eberhard Weber - any
Keith Jarrett - most
Pat Metheny - some

number 20...the one I have stupidly forgotten!

I am downsizing to top 10 to make the selection a little more challenging:


Misha Alperin: Her first dance
Anouar Brahem: Le pas du chat noir
Trovesi/Coscia: In cerca di cibo
Anat Fort Trio: And if
Peter Erskine: You never know
John Taylor: Rosslyn
Jan Garbarek: In praise of dreams
Charlie Haden: Magico
Bobo Stenson: War Orphans
Tord Gustavson: The ground

I would like to mention (no one else did) also a few outstanding ECMs of classical music:

Rolf Lislevand: Nouve Musiche
Brahms: Sonatas for viola & piano kashkashian/Levin
Biber: Unam Ceylum - Holloway, Assenbaum & Mortensen
Kurtag: Jatekok - Martha & Gyorgy Kurtag
John Dowland: In Darkness Let Me Dwell

quote:

Originally posted by Haim Ronen:

I would like to mention (no one else did) also a few outstanding ECMs of classical music

Actually, I did mention Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians

Guys,

I've just added all those CD's up and it comes to "need to speak to my bank manager" type sums.



Dean...

Well you did ask.....

quote:

Originally posted by Lontano:
Well you did ask.....

Dean..

quote:

Originally posted by fred simon:

quote:

Originally posted by Haim Ronen:

I would like to mention (no one else did) also a few outstanding ECMs of classical music

Actually, I did mention Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians

My apologies, Fred. I missed Reich, as well as Arvo, in the crowd.

For anyone interested in learning a bit more about ECM, here is an interview with Manfred Eicher recently broadcast on the BBC World Service.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ccrsn