ECM

Review: The Blue Land is Matthieu Bordenave's follow-up to his ECM trio debut and sees the addition of British drummer James Maddren, enhancing the ensemble's airy textural canvas with a more urgent, animated feel. Pianist Florian Weber's improvisations set the tone, displaying inventive tension and release. Bordenave's saxophone weaves a lyrical narrative, punctuated by bassist Moret and Maddren's perceptively timed contributions. The album strikes a delicate balance between tonal and abstract elements, as heard on the ominous title track and the meditative 'Cyrus.' With nods to Coltrane's 'Compassion"'and Jarrett-like piano, the ensemble delivers an intriguing and collectively expressive set of chamber ensemble pieces.

Review: Old & New Dreams was a jazz group active from 1976 to 1987 - a four-piece bound together by their shared history as sidemen for free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman. The line-up was Don Cherry on trumpet, Dewey Redman on tenor sax, Charlie Haden on bass and Ed Blackwell on drums, and between them they played renditions of Coleman's compositions as well as writing their own material. Having previously limited the restraints other musicians placed on them in past work, the assembled members of Old & New Dreams celebrated coming together and being able to push themselves further out, and the results on this seminal album speak for themselves. Remastered and reissued with the ever-present attention to detail of an ECM pressing, this is essential listening for anyone serious about jazz of all stripes, free or otherwise.

Review: Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen and Dutch pianist Harmen Fraanje strike a fine balance on their latest collaborative jazz record Touch Of Time. Warm and tender throughout, this is a back-alleyed melanchole, with its stark counterpoints between piano and trumpet somehow eliciting the audio-sensation of more instrumentation than there is - a gestalt of ghosts. Gradients of emotion wax and wane like the strange blue lights that are often visible when one's eyes are closed. Produced by Manfred Eicher at the Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano, this is fine recording indeed.

Review: Call on the old Wise is a magnificently captivating solo album that was largely improvised in the moment. It finds pianist Nitai Hershkovits delivering some of his best work as he draws on a wide array of influences that go from his extensive work in the jazz world to more cutting-edge and contemporary explorations via plenty of his own personal classical music experiences. In it, there's a great balance of light and dark, heavy and more airy as well as rich arrays of colour and timbre. It was recorded in 2022 and produced by Manfred Eicher following his work with Oded Tzur's quartet on two acclaimed albums, Here Be Dragons and Isabela.

Review: Pianist-composer Vijay Iyer follows his 2021 ECM disc Uneasy - the first to showcase his trio featuring bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Tyshawn Sorey - with Compassion, another album in league with these two gifted partners. Compassion, Iyer's eighth release as a leader for ECM, continues his drive to explore fresh territory while also referencing his forebears along the way, two of them long associated with the label. The album includes a powerful interpretation of Stevie Wonder's 'Overjoyed', which Iyer selected as an indirect homage to the late Chick Corea. Another tip of the hat comes with 'Nonaah', a whirlwind of a piece by avant-garde sage Roscoe Mitchell, a key mentor for the pianist. Then there are Iyer's own melodically alluring, rhythmically invigorating compositions, ranging from the pensive title track to the hook-laced highlights 'Tempest' and 'Ghostrumental'.

Review: Keith Jarrett's 2016 European tour has already been subject to one vinyl release (Munich 2016 ) and now ECM capture another of the nights on wax. This sumptuous double album documents the pianist's solo performance at Budapest's Bela Bartok National Concert Hall, which the artist is said to have considered something of a homecoming. Comprised of suite-like structures, which are themselves made up of independent "movements", the album is a marvel of spontaneity and resourcefulness. It brims with creative energy and complex abstractions as well as more striped back and soothing pieces.

Review: Like many veteran jazz artists, American pianist Keith Jarrett has amassed a vast discography. The 92 solo and collaborative albums he's notched up since 1968 cover many styles of jazz, making it tricky for newcomers to know where to start. We'd suggest beginning with this 1999 album, which is as pure as you'll get. Made up entirely of solo piano pieces - mostly covers, with a sprinkling of Jarrett's own compositions - "The Melody At Night With You" not only offers a brilliant introduction to Jarrett's trademark playing style, but also the breadth of material he's covered. More importantly, the whole collection is hugely entertaining and enjoyable, with Jarrett putting his own twist on everything from Duke Ellington classics and Oscar Hammerstein show tunes, to Gershwin ballads and traditional favourites.

Review: Cult favourite Keith Jarrett lived on the fringes of musical experimentation with his pioneering post-bop approach to the piano making him a favourite of the last half-decade. He last ever concert was in France in 2016 at the Auditorium de l'Opera National de Bordeaux. Here the concert is captured on record in all its freeform improv glory with 13 tunes making up one ever-evolving suite that goes through a gamut of moods, grooves and emotions. Though his 1975 Koln concert will always be his most famous, this one is thought to come very close by a certain quarter of fans.

Review: Pianist and composer Keith Jarrett's fame stems in large part from his many solo piano improvisations, performed regularly since the early 1970s. Solo Concerts: Bremen/Lausanne is a recording of two such concerts, held in Germany and Switzerland in 1973; originally released as a 3xLP by ECM Records, it now comes reissued and remastered via ECM. This live compilation flaunts Jarrett's emotional range, spanning everything from lyrical melodies to dissonant clusters, from rhythmic grooves to abstract soundscapes. The album was a critical and commercial success, winning the DownBeat award for the best jazz recording of the year in 1974, and establishing Jarrett as a leading figure in the solo piano genre.

Review: Frozen Silence is the latest album by Polish saxophonist and composer Maciej Obara, made in collaboration with his working quartet; including Dominik Wania on piano, Ole Morten Vagan on bass, and Gard Nilssen on drums. Written during the pandemic, these compositions have a direct relationship with nature and isolation, exposing the introspective side of the composer. A mystical, twinkling and melodic sound abounds here, as every element in the mix pops and jut outward, in what could be one of the most dynamic, pristine and impeccably-recorded jazz albums to grace our ears this year.

Review: Violinist Nils Okland and keyboardist Sigbjorn Apeland have been working togeter on music for 30 years. Their work often explores a place where Norwegian traditional music and improvisation meet and this new album is another exceptional one full of touching and tender moods. Glimmer builds on the folk music traditions of the Haugalandet region of Western Norway and is built around original compositions that range from those written for a film about great Norwegian landscape painter Lars Hertevig, to pieces inspired by modernist composer Fartein Valen. The two musicians find great harmony throughout to ensure this is another moving work from the old friends.

Review: Azimuth, a collaboration between John Taylor, Norma Winstone, and Kenny Wheeler, presented an enchanting blend of jazz mastery when it was released in 1977 and it still resonates to this day. The album showcases the trio's seamless interplay and innovative approach to improvisation with Taylor's delicate piano, Winstone's ethereal vocals and Wheeler's evocative trumpet creating a mesmerizing tapestry of sound. From the introspective ballads to the spirited compositions, Azimuth captivates with its emotive depth and musical sophistication. This timeless LP remains a testament to the brilliance of three exceptional musicians pushing the boundaries of contemporary jazz.