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Food: Mercurial Balm
by David McLean
Food's seventh studio album and second for the ECM label is easily the most cohesive offering from its varied discography. A combination of live and studio recordings, British saxophonist Iain Ballamy and Norwegian beat technician Thomas Strønen travel through a rich plateau of effervescent electronics, propulsive yet angular rhythms and near twilight jazz phrasings, which combine ...
Supersilent featuring John Paul Jones: Manchester, UK, November 16, 2012
by David McLean
Supersilent featuring John Paul JonesRNCMManchester, UKNovember 16, 2012Of all Supersilent's live collaborators-- spanning from guitarist Stian Westerhus to prog/space rock juggernaut Motorpsycho--bassist John Paul Jones is a clear and distinct anomaly. Whereas previous conspirators have worked in similar realms, it was hard to know how the former Led Zeppelin bassist would ...
Johann Johannsson and Hildur Gudnadottir: Manchester, UK, November 2, 2012
by David McLean
Jóhann Jóhannsson and Hildur GuðnadóttirLive Soundtrack of Pandoras BoxRNCMManchester, EnglandNovember 2, 2012As soon as the title sequence erupted onto the cinema screen, so too did the quartet's music; all fire and brimstone, recalling composer Philip Glass' most imposing work on Koyaanisqatsi (1982). Piano chords were struck as cello and ...
John Surman: Manchester, England. June 18, 2012
by David McLean
John SurmanRNCMManchester Jazz FestivalManchester, EnglandJune 18, 2012As the lights slowly dimmed, a small and rather unremarkable man made his way onto the stage, in front of a table strewn with saxophones and wind instruments. However, as the audience soon discovered, when this man begins to play something utterly remarkable ...
The Necks: Manchester, England, September 15, 2012
by David McLean
The NecksBand On The WallManchesterSeptember 15, 2012The Necks is one of those rare and ingenious bands that has consistently made the role of the critic wonderfully obsolete. Since the group's inception in the late '80s and across 20 albums, this Australian trio has deftly maneuvered out of any pigeonhole ascribed to ...
Ricardo Villalobos / Max Loderbauer: Re: ECM
by David McLean
Over the past decade or so, the ECM label has been flirting with elements of electronic music in varying degrees. Evan Parker's Towards The Margins (1997) introduced electronic manipulation in the live processing of sound as a new improvisational tool, embellishing the saxophonist's already avant-garde collection of instrumentation. Since then, subtle machinations have crept into other ...
Paul Motian / Chris Potter / Jason Moran: Lost In A Dream
by David McLean
A drummer whose inventive approach to percussion has produced one of the most recognizable and in demand sounds in the pantheon of jazz, Paul Motian's revolutionary playing has seen him approach the kit not as a rhythmic backbone, but as a tool for subtlety and soundscape creation. Lost In A Dream, Motian's set of midnight ballads, ...
Rune Grammofon: Mutation and Reevaluation
by David McLean
Since its inception in 1998, Rune Grammofon has been at the forefront of ground breaking new music, heralding a new unprecedented interest in Scandinavian music. Whereas ECM's focus on the region has largely been based around the folk/traditional music explorations of its most prolific artists, including Jan Garbarek, Arild Andersen, Terje Rypdal and Jon Christensen, and ...
Nils Okland: Monograph
by David McLean
With now over a thousand releases, ECM has become as identifiable for its pristine sound production as its sumptuous design aesthetic. Each release since its 1969 inception has been adorned with beautiful photography and abstract art that has become as inherently important as the music contained within. A testament to this, Norwegian Hardanger fiddler Nils Økland's ...
Ralph Towner / Paolo Fresu: Chiaroscuro
by David McLean
Continuing his long and fruitful relationship with Manfred Eicher's ECM Records--yielding a slew of successful solo records and concerts, acclaimed group work with Oregon and Solstice (also featuring Jan Garbarek), and duo work with John Abercrombie, Gary Peacock and Gary Burton--guitarist/pianist Ralph Towner has become something of an icon for the German label. Chiaroscuro marks another ...