Kenny Wheeler - John Taylor - Steve Swallow - One Of Many

Grazie anche a casa Cam, abbiamo realizzato di come le strade del pianista John Taylor e quelle di Kenny Wheeler spesso si incrocino per regalarci paesaggi sonori di incomparabile bellezza. Abbiamo imparato a conoscere Kenny Wheeler in molte sfumature, e tutte diverse tra loro: dal mitico trio Azimuth; con Anthony Braxton ancora prima, con Dave Holland poi. Lo abbiamo ammirato per il suo stile nella cosiddetta musica improvvisata; come compositore e arrangiatore anche, specie per Maynard Ferguson. Tuttavia negli ultimi anni quando si ascolta un disco di Wheeler non si può che rimanere impressionati dalla sua arte poetica, da quel suono (alla tromba e al flicorno), da quel lirismo inconfondibile che agisce sulla soggettività del poeta, con prevalenza degli aspetti emotivi e sentimentali su quelli razionali. Così sono anche le sue composizioni, soavi ma risolute. “One Of Many”, che lo vede impegnato in trio con John Taylor e Steve Swallow, favoloso e completo motore ritmico ma anche melodico,di “One Of Many”, opera di rara intensità e bellezza.

Leggi qui il bellissimo articolo che All About Jazz Italia ha dedicato agli 80 anni di Kenny Wheeler

Kenny Wheeler has long been one of the most advanced voices on his instrument. Blessed with a full, lovely tone and an astounding range, Wheeler sounds equally at home in fiery free jazz explorations or softer, more lyrical post-bop meditations. Wheeler has written over one hundred compositions and is a skilled arranger for small groups and larger ensembles. His compositions blend lyrical melodies with a distinctive and ever changing harmonic palette. Although resident in England since 1952 and often thought to be an English musician, Kenny Wheeler was born in Canada in 1930 and began playing trumpet at age 12. After studying at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory, he moved to London in 1952, where he gigged with swing and dance bands. In the 1970s, Wheeler played with Anthony Braxton, and went on to record the well-received Gnu High, which established him as a soloist of note. Wheeler turned out a series of excellent albums, including 1977’s Deer Wan and 1983’s Double, Double You (that year, Wheeler also began a four-year run with the Dave Holland Quintet). Several more generally fine outings followed in the ’90s, including the ECM dates Music for Large and Small Ensembles and The Widow in the Window and other recordings. Kenny Wheeler is a true innovator and a consequential part of modern music.

Now about him Johannes Wohlleben ( Kenny Recording Engineer says : " Many years ago I recorded Kenny Wheeler in different jazz formations, but it was the Cam Jazz recordings that showed me Kenny's playing as absolutely unique"

Giovanni Guidi - We Don't Live Here Anymore

This recording catches you off-guard and has nothing to do with his previous ones... Giovanni claims once again with awareness and tenacity his desire to stay in the game.
"Awesome!" "Extraordinary!" "Mature!"

Seguiamo Giovanni da molto tempo il che può "suonare" strano se si considera la sua giovane eta' costretta a "bruciare" tappe di una carriera jazzistica in un settore ove tanti giornalisti e pochi critici rischiano di attaccarti eterne etichette al tuo primo lavoro. Ecco allora che Guidi ci spiazza ogni volta trasferendo nella musica quella naturale evoluzione dell'anima che fa essere ogni progetto discografico diverso da quello precedente, ogni concerto un nuovo cammino, ogni giorno una nuova meta perchè sono proprio diverse le cose di cui si sente l'esigenza di parlare, anche solo attraverso i tasti di un pianoforte. Ecco allora che con immenso piacere presentiamo il nuovo cd di Giovanni Guidi - We Don't Live Here Anymore. Se i lavori discografici di Giovanni Guidi fossero una album fotografico sarebbe impressionante constatare come ogni singola pagina e ogni singola foto sia completamente diversa dall’altra. A soli venticinque anni il pianista Folignate impressiona infatti per coraggio e consapevolezza: al quarto album inciso per CAMJazz con questo “We Don’t Live Here Anymore” Guidi rivendica ancora una volta, con consapevolezza e caparbietà, la voglia di mettersi in gioco. Un album che spiazza, e che nulla a che spartire con i precedenti “Indian Summer”, “The House Behind This One” o “The Unknown Rebel Band”, perché ogni volta c’è una nuova storia da raccontare, un concept su cui costruire un’architettura musicale, un momento della vita che va fissato nella memoria attraverso la sala d’incisione, quasi fosse una necessità. L’ultimo lavoro, inciso alla corte del genio indiscusso del sound engineer James Farber nei celebri studi Sear Sound di New York, è un album che alterna composizioni di Guidi a libere improvvisazioni, che vive e trova la propria forma nel dialogo e nel sentire reciproco dei musicisti che il pianista ha voluto accanto a sé. Una ricerca impressionante sul timbro e sul tocco, quello del pianoforte prima di tutto, che giorno dopo giorno si sta trasformando non solo in un suono, ma nel proprio suono. E poi quello dell’altro italiano che Guidi ha voluto accanto a sé, quel Gianluca Petrella che oltre ad essere uno dei più brillanti e geniali artisti in circolazione, sta diventato per diritto uno dei partner privilegiati di Guidi e con il quale sempre più spesso a condividere palchi e progetti. Oltre a Petrella ad impreziosire molto il progetto troviamo anche il sax di tal Michael Blake che impressiona per bravura ma anche per duttilita' e capacita di adeguarsi nei vari progetti ove viene chiamato in causa. Un Sassofonista assolutamente da seguire e scoprire.

Giovanni Guidi Piano
Gianluca Petrella trombone,
Michael Blake sax,
Thomas Morgan bass,
Gerald Cleaver on drums.

Tracklist

1 DESS 4:53
2 FURIOUS SEASONS 4:47
3 WE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE 6:35
4 SHE COULD TELL THEY WERE FRIENDS 3:34
5 DISTURBING THE PEACE 5:52
6 THE DREAMERS 3:21
7 BEGATTO KITCHEN 2:39
8 OVERNIGHT REVOLUTION 7:50
9 WHAT REMAINS 7:01
10 IN PURSUIT OF SILENCE 8:27

L'uscita del cd sara' accompagnata da un tour promozionale assolutamente da seguire Ecco le date

16 Marostica - Panic Jazz Club
17 Parigi - Sunset Jazz Club
18 Vicchio- Teatro Giotto
19 Torino - Conservatorio Verdi
20 Gioia del Colle - Uéffilo
22 Roma - Teatro Studio Auditorium
23 Assisi -Teatro degli Instabili
24 Bologna - Bravo Caffè
25 Ferrara - Torrione Jazz Club
27 Sant'Elpidio - La Limonaia

Highnote Novita' : Jeremy Pelt - Ernestine Anderson

Jeremy Pelt's The Talented Mr. Pelt

Quando pensiamo ad una casa discografica che abbia un'idea di cosa sia il jazz, di cosa sia stato il jazz e come si stia evolvendo, penso di non poter essere smentito se dico che il primo pensiero corra all'etichetta Highnote. Per coloro che desiderano suffragare tale affermazione ecco la nuova produzione di questo personaggio semplicemente gigantesco: l’acclamato trombettista emergente Jeremy Pelt, con l’atteso seguito di “Man Of Honor”.

Jeremy Pelt's "The Talented Mr. Pelt" is just the kind of album one thinks of when it comes to how jazz is supposed to be: cool, confident, swinging and just a little mysterious. Pelt's group is that rarest of all things in jazz, a working band, and the familiarity and communication that come from extensive time spent playing together is evident. All the players are among the foremost 30-something neo-bop players in jazz today giving the group an all-star-type reputation with a well-rehearsed sound that comes only with familiarity and countless gigs. Pelt's own playing has earned accolades for his staggering virtuosity, which has elicited comparisons to trumpet icons like Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard, as well as for his studious, cerebral approach to the music.

Jeremy Pelt, trumpet, flugelhorn;
J.D. Allen, tenor saxophone;
Danny Grissett, piano;
Dwayne Burno, bass; Gerald Cleaver, drums

Ernestine Anderson – Nightlife

Solo l’Highnote di Joe Fields poteva firmare il ritorno di questa vocalist blues-jazz texana molto popolare negli anni ’60 /’70 grazie alla sua produzione per la Concord che aveva ottimizzato la voce di questa signora di colore, oggi ottantenne, dopo una lunga militanza nelle orchestre di Johnny Otis e di Lionel Hampton. Il nuovo album dal vivo la trova in ottima forma in compagnia di una stellare line-up di jazzisti contemporanei guidata da un altro veterano, il tenor sax Houston Person.

Honest-to-goodness, real-life jazz singing is almost as rare these days as a nickel cup of coffee. There are far too few remaining practitioners of the honorable art of singing good songs with the lift, the swing and the subtle blending of music and emotion that characterizes the work of the best jazz improvisers. Ernestine Anderson is one of those rare beings. Years of singing and living have shaped a vocalist who can make your heart cry one moment and dance the next. Poignant ballads, sassy swing, and down-home blues — Ernestine Anderson is master of them all. Here from the world-famous jazz-Mecca, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola Ernestine is joined by tenor saxman Houston Person for a set of blues, sultry torch songs and up-tempo cookers, all of which convey a hypnotic and sensual presence that have earned her the title "jazz legend."

Ernestine Anderson, vocals;
Houston person, tenor saxophone;
Lafayette Harris Jr, piano;
Lonnie Plaxico, bass;
Jerome Jennings, drums

Barbara Casini - Barato Total

Attendere un cd di Barbara è come attendere la primavera dopo un lungo inverno. Penso che sia questo il pensiero dei suoi numerosi fans che le riconoscono una classe e un'arte musicale fuori dal comune ma anche una personalita' attenta e sensibile. Barbara Casini è da anni una delle massime interpreti del jazz italiano nota tanto per le rivisitazioni della musica brasiliana quanto per quelle della canzone d’autore francese. Voce e chitarra fiorentina sin da ragazzina la fanno volare fino in Brasile che è diventato la sua seconda patria musicale. Barbara Casini è stata più volte definita la più importante interprete di musica brasiliana in Italia tanto da essere invitata piu' volte a esibirsi durante feste organizzate per promuovere la cultura di questo immenso e per la maggior parte ancora sconosciuto paese fatto si di divertimento ma anche di poverta' e tanta voglia di uscirne. La sua conoscenza della musica popolare brasiliana le hanno tra l'altro dato occasione di esibirsi piu' volte dal vivo con un altro grande musicista italiano che condivide con lei questo immenso amore per le melodie verdeoro ossia Stefano Bollani e i suoi Convidados di cui Barbara è per l'appunto la voce. Amore per il brasile che si è concretizzato in questo nuovo cd con cui Barbara vuole rendere omaggio a Gilberto Gil, "stupefacente compositore,chitarrista, cantante, poeta , cosi' profondo e cosi' giocoso". Godiamoci dunque questo nuovo lavoro di Barbara e lasciamoci pervadere dalla primavera in un inverno ancora cosi' lungo.

Barbara Casini - Canto Percussioni
Beppe Fornarelli - Chitarra 7 corde
Sandro Gibellini - Chitarra Elettrica
Special Guest
Stefano Cocco Cantini - Sax soprano e tenore
Massimiliano Rosati - Chitarra Classica Solo

Tracklist :
Pop Wou Wei - Drao - Ladeira da Preguica - Logunedé - Balafon - O Rouxinol - Flora - Expresso 2222 - Se Eu quiser Falar Com Deus - Um Carro De Boi Dourado - O Sonho Acabou - Nossa - Barato Total

Kevin Eubanks - Zen Food

Per ben 18 anni, 5 giorni alla settimana Kevin Eubanks ha accompagnato Jay Lano al "Tonight Show" non deve quindi meravigliare se in america è un vero e proprio mito popolare. Ma quello che gli stessi americani devono scoprire è che Kevin è anche uno dei chitarristi jazz più creativi e moderni con uno stile e una tecnica unica. La sua abilità, al pari della diversità, ne hanno fatto un punto di riferimento per i cultori dello strumento diventanto un punto di riferimento anche per gli altri musicisti. Kevin ha il dono di fondere il jazz con molti altri generi e, badate bene, non voglio usare la parola fusion per questo chitarrista. Infatti il suo è un sound attuale, in un certo senso “moderno”, in grado di suonare e miscelare bluesy, blues-soul, jazz in senso stretto, gospel mentre, al pari di uno chef, il suo piatto forte sono sicuramente le acustiche ballate acustiche . Che chiedere di più ad un chitarrista in grado di sublimare tutte le forme espressive tra jazz e blues?

- Kevin Eubanks – Zen Food Feat. Gerry Etkins, tatiere, Rene Camacho. Bill Pierce, basso, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, batteria.



For nearly two decades, the world at large knew precisely where to find the acclaimed guitarist Kevin Eubanks. For five nights a week, Eubanks was cranking up the band and issuing steamy solos as music director on NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” In spring of 2010, after 18 years on the job, Eubanks decided to move on, although retirement was the last thing on his mind. That much is clearly stated in potent musical terms on Zen Food, his first recording for the Mack Avenue label. The title of the album is more than a piece of wordplay for Eubanks. “I think it’s a wonderful thing to acknowledge music as being food for your soul. The whole idea of it being Zen is that it’s a state of ‘being,’ not an ambition to become something else. It’s realizing everyone’s fingerprint is unique and expressing that uniqueness with sound, with ideas, with music. It’s all the same thing. It’s just another source of nutrition.”

Eubanks was born in Philadelphia into a highly musical family, between his respected pianist and pedagogue mother, Vera, who holds a Masters Degree; notable Jazz and Blues pianist uncle Ray Bryant; and Kevin’s accomplished brothers Robin—considered one of the greatest living trombonists—and the fine trumpeter Duane. Kevin was first drawn into music listening to the energetic sounds of fusion and progressive rock, then went on to study at Berklee. He has played with icons including McCoy Tyner, Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Dave Holland and Ron Carter. In his own distinctive early career, Eubanks released many recordings for Elektra, GRP and Blue Note before his current signing with Mack Avenue in 2010.

In his band, Eubanks has a powerful rhythm section ally in drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith, who, like Eubanks, was a commanding presence on the music scene before heading west to the “Tonight Show” bandstand. Completing the ranks of this bold unit, which deftly combines “fusion” in the best sense with other stylistic turns, are saxophonist Bill Pierce, who holds the Woodwind Chair at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, keyboardist Gerry Etkins and bassist Rene Camacho. Zen Food evokes a sense of diversity and also collective continuity, qualities long in the making, and now ready to “hit the road” in a global way.

As for his long stint as musical foil for Jay Leno, Eubanks asserts, “I enjoyed the job. I enjoyed learning all these new things and meeting new people, and just seeing another side of what I didn’t know. Where I cut my teeth, I was never privy to what happens in Hollywood, by and large. I heard about it and knew a few people here and there. So, to get a bird’s eye view of all that was fascinating, and it still is.”

As he is quick to clarify, with a laugh, “I can’t very well say, oh, I’ll just go back to what I did. I’m a product of both things now, and happily so. I embrace everything I've learned and continue to learn about the mysterious ways of Hollywood.”

This “new” chapter in Eubanks’ life is, as he says, “not so foreign, because that’s all I used to do. It’s just at a different level. Musically, I’m at a different level, as well as personally. Everything is in a progressive state, with more experience in a lot of areas. It should be an interesting adventure.”

Speaking of his new chapter, Eubanks reasons that, “as physical and emotional human beings, we go through different phases in our life. I just think it was time for a change, for all the right reasons. It was a natural process, and I respected that. I thought, ‘ok, then do it.’ At the time that I took the job, I'd been on the road for 15 years, and I was tired of saying goodbye to everyone that I met. I thought it would be nice to be in one place for a while. I never dreamed it would turn into 18 years. It’s kind of the same process.”

Joey DeFrancesco - Never Can Say Goodbye

Jazz has a long history of taking popular songs of the day and making them vehicles for improvisation. Joey DeFrancesco's current exploration of the music associated with Michael Jackson is merely the latest addition to the list. Though this music is linked with the undisputed "King of Pop," this is jazz at its finest — complex and virtuosic yet easily accessible, at times intense, at others fun-filled, and always with the feeling of the unknown that comes with truly spontaneous and inspired improvisation. Without sacrificing a whit of the popular groove of these tunes, Joey and his cohorts give them fresh color and new and different life. Jackson and his music have become part of the American landscape every bit as much as the singers that preceded him and the songs, as DeFrancesco's spirited readings bear witness to, give themselves smartly to an improvisatory approach.

Joey DeFrancesco, organ & trumpet
Paul Bollenback, guitar
Byron landham, drums
Pat Bianchi, keyboards
Carmen Intorre, percussion
Ann Fontinella, violin (on "She's Out of My Life")
Annie Sciola & Samantha Auriello, background vocals

TRACKLIST
Tracks: Thriller; Never Can Say Goodbye; Beat It; Human Nature; Rock With You; She's Out of My Life; The Way You Make Me Feel; Lady in My Life; Billie Jean

Gaia Cuatro - Haruka

Gaia Cuatro is a reality that has already conquered half the world. Their music,full of charm, has a intensity and pleasantness that gets straight to the heart as it rarely happens. Listen to a concert or an album is a compelling experience. The union of two diametrically opposed cultures, that Argentinian and Japanese, creates to a sensational mix where the passion, warmth and rhythm of Latin music / American blend masterfully with the refined elegance of Asian musical tradition. The result is breathtaking. Haruka is further enhanced by the extraordinary participation of Paolo Fresu, who adds an additional note of class and expressiveness. Their previous work with Abeat (Udin, catalog Abeat 054) has had a great resonance between lovers audiophiles. Even that record will not betray the expectations of most demanding palates.

Gaia Cuatro are :

Carlos Buschini : bass, doublebass
Gerardo Di Giusto : piano
Paolo Fresu : trumpet on tracks 3,8
Aska Kaneko : violin,vocals
Tomohiro Yahiro : drums, percussions

Renzo Ruggeri - Kramer Project

Una Big Band di 12 musicisti (11 band+direttore) + special guest suona gli ARRANGIAMENTI ORIGINALI (unico progetto a farlo) trovati in casa Kramer in una vecchia valigia....e questo grazie alla fondazione Rivarolo Mantovano che mettendomi in contatto con Teresa e Laura Gorni, le due figlie del maestro che mi dissero che nonostante Kramer, come sovente accade a molti artisti, ha impiegato l'ultima parte della sua vita a disfrarsi delle proprie creazioni avevano il ricordo di una valigia abbandonata nella casa di campagna della famigia. Per me ciò ha significato la scoperta del leggendario tesoro del Capitan Flint
La storica sigla L'ORCHESTRA DEL CUORE introduce il cd che si alterna tra le composizioni proprie degli inizi (Pippo Non Lo Sa, Prime Lacrime), le commedie musicali (Un Bacio a Mezzanotte, In un Vecchio Palco della Scala, etc.) e la TV (Domenica è sempre Domenica, Tomorrow Night, etc.). Per quanto riguarda la metodologia impiegata in questo lavoro ricordiamo che Renzo nonostante non sia stato in grado di reperire gli arrangiamenti delle partiture krameriane ha scelto di avvicinarsi alla musica del Maestro nella maniera piu' fedele possibile, anche laddove ciò ha significato recuperarle attraverso l'ascolto di incisioni d'epoca. Il fatto poi che prima dell'incisione del cd gli artisti abbiano avuto la possibilita' di eseguirne in piu' occasione i brani durante vari concerti ha consentito all'orchestra di raggiungere quell'affiatamento che rende la musica piu' autentica e sentita. Un lavoro da 5 stelle che speriamo l'attenta stampa specializzata italiana non manche di prendere in considerazione.

"Questo spettacolo è stato cucito così bene con queste sequenze che si succedono attraverso gli anni che io ho vissuto con questo grande maestro, grande amico. Sono toccato e felice di essere insieme a questa bellissima orchestra con gli arrangiamenti che Renzo Ruggieri ha curato e con dei solisti... “sorpresa”.
Funziona benissimo. FRANCO CERRI (Pineto Accordion Jazz Festival, 25 luglio 2008)

Renzo Ruggeri - Accordion - Conductor - Musical Adaption
Massimo Moriconi - Double Bass
Massimo Manzi - Drums
Mauro De Federicis - Guitar
Alessandro di Bonaventura, Gigi Grigioni Faggi, Samuele Garofoli - Trumpets
Sabatino Di Donatantonio, Francesco Di Giulio, Michele Ginestre - Trombones
Gianluca Caporale - Sax and Clarinet
Fabrizio Mandolini, Alessandro Di Rocco, Riccardo Maggitti, Piero Delle Monache - Saxs

Jan Garbarek - Officium Novum

The inspired bringing together of Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble has resulted in consistently inventive music making since 1993. It was the groundbreaking “Officium” album, with Garbarek’s saxophone as a free-ranging ‘fifth voice’ with the Ensemble, which gave the first indications of the musical scope and emotional power of this combination. “Mnemosyne”, 1998’s double album, took the story further, expanding the repertoire beyond ‘early music’ to embrace works both ancient and modern.

Now, after another decade of shared experiences, comes a third album from Garbarek/Hilliard, recorded, like its distinguished predecessors, in the Austrian monastery of St Gerold, with Manfred Eicher producing. Aptly titled, there is continuity in the music of “Officium Novum” and also some new departures. In ‘Occident/Orient’ spirit the album looks eastward, with Armenia as its vantage point and with the compositions and adaptations of Komitas as a central focus. The Hilliards have studied Komitas’s pieces, which draw upon both medieval sacred music and the bardic tradition of the Caucasus in the course of their visits to Armenia, and the modes of the music encourage some of Garbarek’s most impassioned playing. Works from many sources are drawn together as the musicians embark on their travels through time and over many lands. “Officium Novum” journeys from Yerevan to Byzantium, to Russia, France and Spain: all voyages embraced by the album’s dramaturgical flow, as the individual works are situated in a larger ‘compositional’ frame.

"Hays hark nviranats ukhti" and "Surb, surb" are part of the Divine Liturgy of the Holy Mass which Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935) arranged on different occasions and for different formations. The versions here derive from those made for male voices in Constantinople in 1914/1915. "Hays hark nviranats ukhti" is a hymn traditionally sung at the beginning of the mass while the priest spreads incense. "Surb, surb" (Holy, holy) corresponds to "Sanctus" in the Latin Mass.

"Ov zarmanali" is a hymn of the Baptism of Christ (Sunday after Epiphany), sung during the ceremony of blessing the water, and "Sirt im sasani" a hymn of "Votnlva" (the bathing-of-the-feet ceremony celebrated on Maundy Thursday).These Komitas pieces are from the period 1910 to 1915, but their roots reach back to antiquity. Ethnomusicologist as well as forward-looking composer-philosopher, Komitas not only showed how Armenian sacred music had developed from folk music, but used folk styles expressively, to make new art music for his era.

Other music in the “Officium Novum” programme also spans the centuries, medieval music and contemporary music unified in the concentrated approach of Garbarek/Hilliard, now definable as a specific group sound. Jan Garbarek contributes two compositions. For “Allting finns” the saxophonist sets “Den Döde” (“The dead one”), a poem by Sweden’s Pär Lagerkvist (1891-1974). “We are the stars”, meanwhile, last heard on the saxophonist’s “Rites” album, is based on a Native American poem of the Pasamaquoddy people.

Longest piece on the album is the thirteen-minute “Litany” imaginatively bringing together works of spiritual and musical affinity: “Otche Nash” from the Lipovan Old Believers tradition is preceded by a fragment of the “Litany” of Nikolai N. Kedrov.
Kedrov (1871-1940) was a student of Rimsky Korsakov, a founder of the Kedrov Quartet, a vocal group that toured under Diaghilev’s direction, and writer of many compositions and chant arrangements which have since found their way into the repertoire of Orthodox choirs.

Arvo Pärt’s “Most Holy Mother of God”, a piece written for the Hilliard Ensemble in 2003, is heard in a pristine a capella reading. If the Hilliards have proselytized persuasively for Pärt’s music they have surely also been affected by the austerity of his writing.

The Byzantine “Svete tihij” (Gladsome Light), composed in the third century, is one of the oldest Christian hymns, and once accompanied the entrance of the clergy into the church and the lighting of the evening lamp at sunset. The Spanish “Tres morillas” from the 16th century “Cancionero de Palacio” radiates a different kind of light, as its dancing rhythm underpins a tale of lost love.

Perotin’s “Alleluia. Nativitas” is a new account of a piece which the musicians had previously recorded on “Mnemosyne”: the freedom of interpretation is testimony to the way the project as a whole has grown since its introduction on ECM New Series.

As for the saxophone, from an improvisational perspective this remains an exceptionally pure context in which to experience Jan Garbarek’s creativity. Garbarek is still approaching this music freely, improvising with the soloists, creating roving counterpoint, weaving in and of the web of vocal texture, and helping to shape what England’s Evening Standard called “some of the most beautiful acoustic music ever made”.

The album concludes with actor Bruno Ganz reading Giorgos Seferis’s “Nur ein Weniges noch”, from the Greek poet’s 1935 “Mythistorema” cycle, a poem previously embraced in ECM’s album devoted to T.S. Eliot and Seferis, “Wenn Wasser wäre”.


New discoveries continue to be mined by the Hilliard/Garbarek collective. In an era in which musical alliances are often short-lived or speculative, ECM is able to present “Officium Novum” as a CD production of a ‘working band’ continuing to grow after 17 years of creative collaboration.

Dave Douglas - Spirit Moves + Spark Of Being

Spark Of Being

On April 24th, 2010, Dave Douglas and experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison unveiled their multimedia collaboration, Spark Of Being, at Stanford University. On film, it stands as a reinterpretation of that Frankenstein myth using new, archival, and distressed footage. The themes, penned by Douglas for his Grammy-nominated band Keystone, integrate electronics seamlessly into the improvised music, piecing sounds and movement together to make three strikingly different Creatures.

Part 1: SOUNDTRACK (out June 22nd)
Part 2: EXPAND (out August 24th)
Part 3: BURST (out September 21st)

Spirit Moves

Spirit Moves features Douglas alongside Vincent Chancey (French horn), Luis Bonilla (trombone), Marcus Rojas (tuba) and Nasheet Waits (drums) paying homage to the brass instrument with eight new original compositions and three arrangements of classics by such disparate artists as Otis Redding, Hank Williams and Rufus Wainwright. Over the past several years, Douglas has steadily honed his work with Brass Ecstasy with appearances at the 2008 Chicago Jazz Festival, which commissioned new music from the group, Willisau Festival, Reggio Calabria Jazz Festival, and The Festival of New Trumpet Music. Informed by the evolving spirit of brass music and by his multi-faceted career as the director of The Festival of New Trumpet Music, label head of Greenleaf Music, a renowned composer, artist, and record producer, Douglas pens an ambitious collection of lyrical songs with impressions of folk, pop and soul music.

Tracklist :

1. This Love Affair 3:25
2. Orujo 3:38
3. The View From Blue Mountain 4:53
4. Twilight of the Dogs 4:06
5. Bowie 6:27
6. Rava 5:36
7. Fats 3:48
8. The Brass Ring 7:56
9. Mister Pitiful 3:05
10. Great Awakening 6:00
11. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry 4:18
12. Prayer for Baghdad (Subscriber Bonus)
13. Hope (Subscriber Bonus)