European J***

Tord Gustavsen, Ketil Bjornstat and E.S.T if you like piano trios. All different but all good.

Do you mean jazz by musicians born in Europe or jazz recorded on European labels? Or both? Or what?

ECM is a European label but plenty of their releases feature American and other non-European musicians.

Black Saint/Soulnote, Silkheart, Winter & Winter and Hat Art are other such labels that spring to mind, all with excellent back catalogues.

Jim

Fair question Jim. I'm mainly interested in European musicians. I tend to favour small ensembles, especially the classic piano trio, but I'm up for anything, really. I'm familiar with the usual suspects on ECM, and have a few Esbjorn Svensson CDs, and am now in explorer mode! Thanks for the ideas so far.

I'm partial to Italian jazz musicians, and there are several great ones. Enrico Pieranunzi is a piano favorite of mine and I have many of his recordings--try Live In Paris for a good sample of his trio. Enrico Rava is a wonderful trumpeter. I'm especially fond of his duo recording with Stefano Bollani, a fine young pianist, on Philology entitled Rava Plays Rava. Another pianist I like is Danilo Rea, who has a superb trio recording on the Japanese label Venus called Romantica. Finally, the young alto player Francisco Cafiso I very much enjoy--his CD called Happy Time, on Camjazz I think, with an Italian trio is excellent. Enjoy.

Thanks oldnslow. I have a couple of Rava's, and am keen tp check out Bollani's solo piano album. I'll look out for the other two names you mention.

quote:

and am keen tp check out Bollani's solo piano album

It's very good and well worth having. One album I would wholeheartedly recommend is 'Trasnoche' by Enrico Pieranunzi and Marc Johnson, recorded after hours in a theatre in Perugia, Umbria - just up the road from where my wife's sister lives. A great record and reminds us of Italy too!!

There are some great British players, if you want to reduce your 'jazz miles' still further. Stan Tracey, who is 80 now, has produced some superb records in recent years, on the Trio label. Zach's Dream and Seventysomething are particularly good.

Nigel

So much great music, so little time! I *did* buy some Italian jazz today, a new double CD by Stefano Battaglie of music inspired by (or used in) the fils of Passolini. Warmly reviewed in yesterday's Guardian. Sounds interesting, but early days yet. I also bought "So There" - Robert Creeley reading some of his own poems, accompanied by Steve Swllow on bass, plus piano, and a string quartet. I have another Swllow/Creeley collaboration and it's excellent, so I'm hoping that this one will be just as good.

I recommend the Naim label.

All best,
Fred

Red Records of Italy have some very good albums in their canon; notably the one with Edward Simon and Dave Binney.
As mentioned Winter & Winter with Uri Caine etc also the Hat labels with Franz Koglman, Theo Jorgensmann etc.
Can't forget Henri Texier, his band with it's various line-ups --- usually on Label Bleu. Excellently recorded with evocative soundscapes.
On ECM, Louis Sclavis, Vincent Courtois and Yves Robert have all made some fine and particularly Gallic discs.
Have fun!!!!

I hadn't really noticed that my modest jazz collection didn't really include non-American jazz artists other than Michel Petrucciani & John McLaughlin, and I guess McLaughlin doesn't count as he is so entrenched musically in the American philosophy of jazz, even in his dabblings in Indian music, if you know what I mean.
I'm interested to see what comes out of this thread, because I need education!

You might like the piano trio Humair Urteger Michelot on the CD hum. The drummer Daniel Humair is swiss, Rene Urtreger (french)on piano and Pierre Michelot (french) on bass.
The album contains three CDs with recordings from 1960, 1979 and 1999, a gem.
urs

First, of course, you have to explore the Naim label, which represents the best in jazz of all times. There's never better than Naim. Not now, not in the past, and never in the future.
After that you might take a look at some stuff I'm going to recommend that I think is a bit interesting. No doubt that none of them will measure up to Naim, but trying never hurts. All of the recs below are purely European, No US or or any other countries here. Oh, and I didn't include the description of the albums, if you don't find anything in the net, let me know.

Albert Mangelsdorf - Now Jazz Ramwong
Django Bates - Autumn Fires
Gianluigi Trovesi - Fugace
Joachim Kuhn - From Time To Time Free
Michael Garrick - Cold mountain
First House - Erendira
Hans Koller - Relax With My Horns
Tubby Hayes - 100% Proof
Enrico Rava/Renato Sellani - Le Cose Inutili
Gaetano Partipilo - Urban Society
Don Rendell/Ian Carr - Changes
Martial Solal Dodecaband Plays Ellington
Roberto Tarenzi - Introducing Cues Trio
Antonio Farao - Borderlines
Mats Holmquist Stora Stygga Big Band - Tribute to Chick Corea
Jonas Kullhammar - Snake City North
Mujician - Spacetime

Thanks urs. Here's an odd coincidence - I was listening to Neil and Tim Finn's album Everyone is Here this morning. The track playing when I read your post was "Gentle Hum". Spooky, and surely a sign that I must follow up your recommendation!

thanks trane - I assume thta your comments about the Naim label are ironic?!

quote:

Originally posted by droodzilla:
thanks trane - I assume thta your comments about the Naim label are ironic?!

Just thinking the exact same thing....

quote:

Originally posted by droodzilla:
I assume thta your comments about the Naim label are ironic?!

I think there is some irony in my post. Or perhaps there isn't. What do you think?

What always fascinates me is that such sophisticated audiophiles like Naim owners for the most part don't like jazz. I was just checking the thread titled "The Great Albums." 12 pages of suggestions, and only 3-4 jazz titles. Unbelievable.

Tryve Seim is very interesting. Saw him live in Portland last year at the Portland Jazz Festival where the theme was ECM artists. Tomasz Stanko, Charles Lloyd were among the great musicians who were present. The most unusual was Trygve Seim.

Thanks Artk, sounds very interesting. I notice that he's recorded an album with Christian Wallumrod, whose "Zoo is Far" CD I've had for several weeks. It's not exactly an easy listen, but it/s not discordant or difficult either. It has a strange distant/neutral vibe, which I find highly intriguing. Well worth hearing if you get the chance.

I can recommend anything by Marco di Marco...brilliant jazz pianist.