ECM Records: Austerity as Aesthetic

ECM Records may boast the most readily-recognizable style of any record label extant, jazz-wise or otherwise. And the austere aesthetic of the label, as originated by founder Manfred Eicher in 1969, remains consistent (predictable?) to this day, not just in terms of the music but in the packaging too: slipcases enclosing jewel boxes belie inserts including photos of the artists and the attendant credits in designs as unadorned as the settings for the recordings (and the technical aspects thereof). All of which characteristics apply to pianists'/bandleaders' Benjamin Lackner'sand Julia Hulsmann's efforts: the readily discernible dynamic of the music only renders more overt the distinctions of the respective titles: while the latter's work has more of the characteristics of a recital than a concert, it does share elements of its companion piece even apart from the virtually identical instrumental array: both conjure the intimate atmosphere radiating from playing in the presence of an extremely-discriminating audience.

Benjamin Lackner
Spindrift
ECM Records
2025

It is not absolutely necessary to relish the crime fiction of Raymond Chandler to enjoy Spindrift, but it certainly helps. As saxophonist Mark Turner's horn lines drift upward and waft around, the sounds of the ten tracks including "See You Again My Friend" conjure images of deserted streets between midnight and dawn. Such a vivid atmosphere further coalesces from the relaxed but pointed interplay of this quintet, so while "See You Again" and "Fair Warning" most directly evoke the noir drama of the aforementioned prose style, the music is as immersive as such prose at its best. In practical terms too, playing the former might well be ideal background for reading the latter. But especially as Mathias Eick's trumpet pairs with the aforementioned horn-man during "Out Of The Fog," the Lackner quintet's efforts stand as distinct on their own terms.

Julia Hulsmann Quartet
Under The Surface
ECM Records
2025

Ever-so-slightly more dignified than its counterpart, this quartet's musicianship nonetheless betrays more than a few traces of the abandon that comes from the musicians' familiarity with the environs as well as each other. Still, instead of becoming integrated with an aural narrative, this band's instrumental output functions alternately as a Greek chorus—commenting on the sequence of scenes represented by "May Song" and "The Earth Below"—and as a series of exchanges that represent dialogue spoken by characters in a script: hear, for instance, the pianist leader and bassist Marc Muellbauer engaging with each other so instinctively during "Second Thoughts." At its best, usually when more than one player adopts an insistent approach as on "Milkweed Monarch," this quartet's playing is highly theatrical, even cinematic at times: the development of deceptively-nuanced interplay compels (and rewards) repeated listenings.

Tracks and Personnel

Spindrift

Tracks: Spindrift; Mosquito Flats; More Mesa: Chambray; See You Again My Friend; Murnau; Fair Warning; Anacapa; Ahwahnee; Out Of The Fog.

Personnel: Benjamin Lackner: piano; Mathias Eick: trumpet; Mark Turner: tenor saxophone; Linda May Han Ok: double bass; Matthieu Chazarenc: drums.

Under The Surface

Tracks: They Stumble, They Walk; May Song; Second Thoughts; Bubbles; Nevergreen; The Earth Below; Anti Fragile; Trick; Milkweed Monarch; Under The Surface.

Personnel: Player Name: Julia Hulsmann: piano; Uli Kempendorff: tenor saxophone; Hildegunn Oiseth: trumpet, goat horn; Marc Muellbauer: double bass; Heinrich Kobberling: drums

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