Ketil Bjørnstad - Remembrance

Norwegian pianist Ketil Bjørnstad always paints a serene Scandinavian landscape through his beautiful compositions, unique style matched by the distinctive performances of his long-time musician colleagues. This is felt throughout all his recordings, especially those under ECM Records, which are perfect examples of how some music can appeal to anybody regardless of the style. “Remembrance” is no exception. Tenor saxophonist Tore Brunborg reminds us of other great Scandinavian talents such as Jan Garbarek by adding palettes of melodies tinged with Scandinavian folklore while veteran drummer Jon Christensen remains always inventive as his usually ultra-sensitive drumming might seem like disorderly free drumming at will to the non-connoisseur just as it is a legendary performance to those familiar with his great style. This mixture makes “Remembrance” a reflective, introspective recording, well suited for those times when peace, relaxation, concern and a look at one's inner self are necessary. Recorded and mixed by Jan Erik Kongshaug.

Track Listing:

1. Remembrance I

2. Remembrance Ii
3. Remembrance Iii
4. Remembrance Iv
5. Remembrance V
6. Remembrance Vi
7. Remembrance Vii
8. Remembrance Viii
9 Remembrance Ix
10. Remembrance X
11. Remembrance Xi
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Manu Katché - Playground

Drummer Manu Katche's sophomore effort for ECM maintains the musical concept of his debut for the label, “Neighbourhood”. The rhythm section remains intact, but while “Neighbourhood” embraced the star appearances of Jan Garbarek and Tomasz Stanko, “Playground” feels more like a band mainly due to the amazing interaction between Mathias Eick on trumpet and Trygve Seim on saxophones, whose restraint and reliance on gentleness complement Katche’s out of the ordinary funky backbeat, subtle fills and pulse. Katche’s subtle, complex and lyrical compositions have gotten stronger and more mature. The classic ECM sound is absent as sound engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug has been replaced by James Farber who also delivers a great recording. Musicians: Manu Katché on drums, Mathias Eick on trumpet, Trygve Seim on saxophones, Marcin Wasilewski on piano, Slawomir Kurkiewicz on bass and David Torn on guitar.

Track Listing:

1. Lo

2. Pieces of Emotion

3. Song for Her

4. So Groovy

5. Morning Joy

6. Motion

7. Project 58

8. Snapshot

9. Possible Thought

10. Inside Game

11. Clubbing

12. Song for Her (Variation)

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Manu Katché - Neighbourhood

In the mid '80s Manu Katché’s amazing drumming style got indeed noticed by artist such as Peter Gabriel and Sting, with whom he toured and recorded extensively. These inspiring collaborations propelled Katché to an impressive and prolific career as a studio drummer. His list of credits is both impressive and diverse as Katché always provides superb unique grooves to any recording. After having played with his share of popular musicians he blossomed into the contemporary jazz scene as a backing force on many recordings for the ECM record label and finally he joined the label and released “Neighbourhood” in 2005 with the help from some of the same ECM stars he recorded with. The reflective, ardently lyrical mood of Katché's compositions is both naive and thoughtful and his percussive backing fierce yet subtle, carefully keeping a gentle pulse that paves the way for the space and dynamic reach of the group as a whole, beautifully recorded by the master of the ECM sound Jan Erik Kongshaug. Musicians: Manu Katché on drums, Jan Garbarek on saxophones, Tomasz Stanko on trumpet, Marcin Wasilewski on piano, Slawomir Kurkiewicz on bass.

Track Listing:

1. November 99

2. Number One

3. Lullaby

4. Good Influence

5. February Sun

6. No Rush

7. Lovely Walk

8. Take Off and Land

9. Miles Away

10. Rose

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