ECM Thread

Started playing Spotify ECM New & Forthcoming playlist this morning and ended playing this album in full.

FERENC SNÉTBERGER & KELLER QUARTETT - HALLGATÓ :

On Hallgató, recorded live in the Grand Hall of Budapest’s Liszt Academy, Ferenc Snétberger and the Keller Quartett, respectively Hungary’s outstanding acoustic guitarist and its foremost string quartet, are heard together and separately in a moving and organically unfolding programme, with compositions by Snétberger, Shostakovich, John Dowland and Samuel Barber. Snétberger’s “In Memory of My People”, dedicated to his Sinti and Roma forebears, is a powerful and spirited piece, both threnody and celebration. Shostakovich’s 8th String Quartet, also dedicated to the victims of war, is played with great sensitivity and feeling by the Keller musicians. Subtle arrangements of John Dowland find Snétberger with the Keller Quartett for “I saw my lady weep” and in duo with cellist László Fenyö for “Flow, my tears”. The Keller Quartett address the yearning quality of Barber’s Molto adagio from his String Quartet op.11, and Snétberger offers a glimmer of hope with the tender solo guitar piece “Your Smile”. The concluding “Rhapsody 1”,with Snetberger and string quintet, is a new arrangement of a radiant theme originally written by Ferenc for a film project about the Roma. In total: a very involving and gripping album. Recorded in December 2018, and produced by Manfred Eicher.


 
I just pulled the trigger on 2 ECM (and 1 ECM-adjacent) albums that had been on my wantlist for a while:

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The Pat Metheny album is an absolute ECM essential IMO, and probably the best example of this group's approach to jazz.

I'm a sucker for Keith Jarrett, and The Survivor's Suite is my favorite "American Quartet" album, so I'm happy to finally add it to my collection alongside Bop-Be and Fort Yawuh (plus other non-AQ Jarrett albums)

Finally, the Charlie Haden album is an absolute gem that I urge everyone to listen to. This collection of duets is what made me fully realize Haden's genius. His approach is so different on each tune, always adapting to what best suits the other musician. The track with Alice Coltrane is worth the record alone.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with y'all, and I can't wait to get these on my turntable.
 
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Not a Metheny fan, But I've got the other 2 , Survivor's Suite is excellent !!
I just pulled the trigger on 2 ECM (an 1 ECM-adjacent) albums that had been on my wantlist for a while:

View attachment 124822

The Pat Metheny album is an absolute ECM essential IMO, and probably the best example of this group's approach to jazz.

I'm a sucker for Keith Jarrett, and The Survivor's Suite is my favorite "American Quintet" album, so I'm happy to finally add it to my collection alongside Bop-Be and Fort Yawuh.

Finally, the Charlie Haden album is an absolute gem that I urge everyone to listen to. This collection of duets is what made me fully realize Haden's genius. His approaches are so different on each tune, always adapting to what best suites the other musician. The track with Alice Coltrane is worth the record alone.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with y'all, and I can't wait to get these on my turntable.
 
Not a Metheny fan, But I've got the other 2 , Survivor's Suite is excellent !!
Metheny can be very hit or miss for me, but I love this and Bright Size Life. I don't know what it is about these two albums, but they stand appart the other records of his I have listende to. You should give them a try if you haven't already.
 
Metheny can be very hit or miss for me, but I love this and Bright Size Life. I don't know what it is about these two albums, but they stand appart the other records of his I have listende to. You should give them a try if you haven't already.

These aforementioned two and Question & Answer are my top three Metheny albums
 
Not a Metheny fan, But I've got the other 2 , Survivor's Suite is excellent !!

It took me a while to get over the slight smooth jazz sound of PMG. I think what did it was really liking how they build intensity in their tracks. They are always more than just head solo, solo, solo, head.

Also anyone know why Metheny split with ECM. The PMG always seems to stick out in their catalogue.
 
It took me a while to get over the slight smooth jazz sound of PMG. I think what did it was really liking how they build intensity in their tracks. They are always more than just head solo, solo, solo, head.

Also anyone know why Metheny split with ECM. The PMG always seems to stick out in their catalogue.
American Garage is the one that does it for me.
 
It took me a while to get over the slight smooth jazz sound of PMG. I think what did it was really liking how they build intensity in their tracks. They are always more than just head solo, solo, solo, head.

Also anyone know why Metheny split with ECM. The PMG always seems to stick out in their catalogue.
This exactly. The way the group builds momentum colectively in suite-like compositions is truly especial. In some ways their ethos is more aligned with a rock band than a jazz group, just with brilliant improvisation added to the mix.
 
I just pulled the trigger on 2 ECM (and 1 ECM-adjacent) albums that had been on my wantlist for a while:

View attachment 124822

The Pat Metheny album is an absolute ECM essential IMO, and probably the best example of this group's approach to jazz.

I'm a sucker for Keith Jarrett, and The Survivor's Suite is my favorite "American Quartet" album, so I'm happy to finally add it to my collection alongside Bop-Be and Fort Yawuh (plus other non-AQ Jarrett albums)

Finally, the Charlie Haden album is an absolute gem that I urge everyone to listen to. This collection of duets is what made me fully realize Haden's genius. His approach is so different on each tune, always adapting to what best suits the other musician. The track with Alice Coltrane is worth the record alone.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with y'all, and I can't wait to get these on my turntable.


There is a couple of non ECM albums of Charlie’s with Hank Jones. They do spirituals and other folk songs. They both are really good. I think they have vinyl releases but they are Japanese releases and pretty rare. (Just checked it yea it’s sold for $222.00
 
I went to see Bill Frisell w/ Morgan and Royston. It was an amazing show. Their imaginations seem limitless and the amount of interplay was awesome. So connected with each other. I didn’t know Morgan was so young. Where did Bill find him? I haven’t heard of both of these musicians before them playing with Bill.
 
I’ve been pretty Lax about this thread
Well, thanks for reviving it!

Last fall/winter I fell hard into the ECM rabbit hole. I already had several Jarrett albums but this was the first time I intentionally explored other artists in their catalog. Soon enough I was scouring my local’s jazz section for any ECM album I could find… and now ECM has its own cube in my collection!

Almost all of it is from the 70s and early 80s, except from a used copy of Nik Bartsch’s Mobile - Continuum that I found recently.
 
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