"Class Trip marks John Abercrombie’s second studio go-round with this expressive, expansive band, a quartet featuring violinist Mark Feldman as front line partner to the guitarist. The rhythm section of drummer Joey Baron and bassist Marc Johnson...

"The third album by the group many listeners feel is John Abercrombie’s best-ever band. The American guitarist has always been, by his own account, both a “traditionalist and a free player”. The same can be claimed of is colleagues here who share a...

John Abercrombie guitar
Joe Lovano tenor saxophone
Drew Gress double-bass
Joey Baron drums

"Within A Song celebrates the spirit of discovery that illuminated the jazz of the 1960s, as John Abercrombie declares his musical loyalties

There was an amazingly high number of great albums being released on ECM during the 1970s and this is one of many beautiful, enjoyable classics by two great, very different guitarists...

"First new recording in a decade from Ukraine-born Misha Alperin, whose last two ECM discs, “Night” and “At Home” were both recorded in 1998. This newest album of solos, duos and trios picks up the productive association with German cellist Anja...

"Live recording of Arild Andersen’s exciting new trio, playing in Oslo’s Belleville club and at the Drammen Theatre, spurred on by an enthusiastic crowd. Apart from Duke Ellington’s “Prelude To A Kiss”, played with much feeling by Tommy Smith, the music..

"The fabulous Chicago collective focus all their energies in a wide ranging programme embracing a tribute to Mingus, an “Old Southside Street Dance”, echoes of Africa, contemporary composition and free improvising."
Lester Bowie-trumpet
Joseph..

"Siwan is a breathtaking new musical project initiated by Jon Balke, with Amina Alaoui, Kheir Eddine M'Kachiche and Jon Hassell fronting a large ensemble that includes a group of early music players. The listener is at first struck by the power of...

One of my personally most anticipated releases of 2008, this is the second album this amazing ensemble that combines jazz, minimalism, groove and rock energy using a unique pallet of piano/Fender Rhodes, double bass, drums, percussion and bass clarinet...

One of my top 5 favorite records released in 2006. Not quite sure how to categorize this marvelous record, but I will try. This is ostensiby a jazz band (Nike Bartsch-piano and Fender Rhodes, Sha-contrabass and bass clarinets, Bjorn Meyer-bass, Kaspar...

Jon Balke piano, keyboards, electronics, tungoné, darbouka, percussion
Helge Andreas Norbakken sabar, gorong, djembe, talking drum, shakers, percussion
Emilie Stoesen Christensen vocals
Erland Dahlen drums
Torgeir Rebolledo Pedersen...

Stefano Battaglia: piano, prepared piano
Michele Rabbia: percussion, electronics

"In this beautiful duo album by two of Italy’s most creative musicians, roles are frequently overturned, as lyrical percussion shades into electronics and...

Iva's debut solo work on ECM doesn't really break any new ground, it merely cements what she does so well - weirdly beautiful (or beautifully weird!), often sparse, sometimes overflowing works, for her extraordinary voice and violin work all rooted in...

Ketil Bjørnstad piano
Tore Brunborg tenor saxophone
Jon Christensen drums

Lyrical and typically beautiful ECM release. If you like 'the sound', this has it in spades!

"Ketil Bjørnstad and Jon Christensen have been musical...

"A live recording from the Leipzig Opera House is the debut documentation of the duo of Ketil Bjørnstad and Terje Rypdal (working together since 1999). Material revisits pieces from Bjørnstad’s “Water Stories” and “The Sea” and from Rypdal’s...

Another terrific early/mid period release, this one from 1978 and featuring another stupendous band filled with great and inventive players. Highly recommended once more!

"Carla Bley's tentet performs some of her most colorful themes on this...

"Paul Bley, master improviser, alone at a Bösendorfer Imperial piano in Mondsee, Austria. Kaleidoscopically-splintered melodies, distant memories of standards, abstractions of the blues and spontaneous free playing are some of the subjects of the...

I miss Lester and his music and his humor (and labcoat). And this was a fun, unexpected album when it appeared on ECM in 1981.

"Lester was pomo before there was pomo. The Amazon.com reviewer says that its suspended between "kitsch and concerto.".

Anouar Brahem oud
Klaus Gesing bass clarinet
Björn Meyer bass
Khaled Yassine darbouka, bendir

"Delightful new project, assembled by Tunisian oud master Brahem with producer Manfred Eicher. Combination of bass clarinet with oud...

Classic mid 70s ECM album with amazing personnel and classy interpretations of one of jazz's greatest living composers!
Gary Burton-vibraphone
Mick Goodrick-guitar
Pat Metheny-electric 12-string guitar
Steve Swallow-bass
Bob Mose

All three of the great albums by:
Don Cherry trumpet, doussn’gouni, flutes, organ, melodica, voice
Nana Vasconcelos berimbau, cuica, talking drum, percussion, voice
Collin Walcott sitar, tabla, hammered dulcimer, sanza, timpani, voice...

The lightly Latin-flavored, slighly jazz/rock leaning 1972 classic that probably bankrolled ECM for the next 5 years. Chick Corea-electric piano, Joe Farrell-flutes, soprano saxophone, Flora Purim-vocal, percussion, Stan Clarke-basses, Airto Moreira...

Chick Corea, piano
Stefano Bollani, piano

"Chick Corea and Stefano Bollani in their first recorded collaboration, a document of a most spirited gig in Orvieto’s Teatro Mancinelli last December. Effervescent virtuosity abounds as the two...

"After three acclaimed trio albums –“Nothing Ever Was, Anyway”, “Amaryllis”, “Storyteller” – a solo album by the innovative American pianist. “Vignettes” spotlights new developments in Marilyn Crispell’s work. An ‘aesthetics of space, beauty and...

"The melody and texture of the Persian language exerts a subtle hold on the composing and improvising of the Berlin-based Cyminology quartet, heard here on its ECM debut Bandleader Cymin Samawatie, charismatic German-Iranian vocalist, sings her own...