Jan 14 2016
A rundown of recent ECM Records releases: Ches Smith, Stefano Battaglia, Ben Monder, Enrico Rava and Food
Every now and then I give a rundown of recent releases on the ECM Records label. They were one of the early advocates of what’s loosely termed Nordic Jazz (typically serene, ambient to the point of flirting with new age or minimalism, and often imbued with folk music from Norway or thereabouts) as well as the even more loosely termed World Jazz (jazz with specific or vague regional folk influences). In any event, me and the music of ECM Records go way back and some of my very favorite albums were released by the label, so out of fondness if nothing else, every now and then I write up a column like this one and put down a few words about recent releases of note.
Let’s begin.
Ches Smith with Craig Taborn & Mat Maneri – The Bell
An absolutely stunning work from the trio of percussionist Ches Smith, pianist Craig Taborn and violist Mat Maneri. Chamber music is the You Are Here mark when you try to locate your first steps on the map of this recording, but this album roams far and wide and its expansive horizon line isn’t so easily encapsulated. Watching how the individual trajectories of each musician twist and wind and bounce off one another like fireflies on a Summer evening is pretty damn captivating, but the jaw dropping moments are when the three suddenly come together in unison, and the music transforms from unpredictable wildness to focused melodicism. There’s no short supply of imagery on this one, no sir. An excellent way to start out the new year.
Your album personnel: Ches Smith (drums, vibraphone, timpani), Craig Taborn (piano) and Mat Maneri (viola).
Available at: Amazon
*****
Stefano Battaglia Trio – In the Morning
A lovely live performance set from the trio of pianist Stefano Battaglia, bassist Salvatore Maiore and drummer Roberto Dani. With the songbook of composer Alec Wilder as their inspiration, the trio finds the right mix of improvisational wandering and tight lyrical expressiveness. Possibilities are explored but never to the cost of losing the song’s identity. It’s why so many of the album tracks exceed ten minutes in duration, yet still possess a remarkable cohesiveness.
Your album personnel: Stefano Battaglia (piano), Salvatore Maiore (double bass) and Roberto Dani (drums).
Stream an album track on the ECM site.
Available at: Amazon
*****
Ben Monder – Amorphae
What began as a duo project with drummer Paul Motian was cut short when Motian passed away (something that hasn’t lessened its bite each time I have to type that phrase). The result is a pastiche of solo, duo and trio and pieces. The thing of it is, Ben Monder‘s sound has become so recognizable that even a cobbled together album presents a succinct vision and cohesive sonic personality. A couple solo pieces that start and end the album are all well and good, but it’s the stunning rendition of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'” that immediately marks this album as a winner. This, followed by the Frisellian “Tumid Cenobite” really guides this album into must-buy territory. There’s some ambient droning tracks reminiscent of old-school ECM, and on their own, they’re not terribly interesting, but as far as the progression of the album from first track to last, they’re a nice bit of texture… especially when it leads into the odd liveliness of “Triffids.” Neat album. Familiar in some cool ways, all alone doing something different in others. You can pretty much count on Ben Monder to deliver something interesting and exciting every time out.
Your album personnel: Ben Monder (electric guitar, electric baritone guitar, Fender Bass VI), Pete Rende (synthesizer), Andrew Cyrille (drums) and Paul Motian (drums).
Available at: Amazon
*****
Enrico Rava Quartet – Wild Dance
Kind of a mixed bag on this one. It’s a nice line-up with some interesting combinations, but overall, the music is muddy and directionless. It’s a shame, too, because Enrico Rava is capable of putting out some evocative music. The guitarist Francesco Diodati is always involved with unusual projects with the Auand label. Gianluca Petrella is one of the most exciting trombonists on the scene, and so many of his albums are wildly expressive with a massive sound, but his appearances on ECM albums always leave his trombone bombast sounding neutered. The title-track “Wild Dance,” with its warped harmonics and off-the-cuff lyricism and “Cornette” with its focused stream of wobbly melodicism display the mastery this album could have achieved, but this doesn’t crop up until the album’s midway point, which is far too late to redeem this unfocused recording. That said, definitely check the album out, because it does have its share of wow moments, and it might be something that floats your boat.
Your album personnel: Enrico Rava (trumpet), Francesco Diodati (guitar), Gabriele Evangelista (double bass), Enrico Morello (drums) and Gianluca Petrella: trombone).
Stream an album track on the ECM site.
Available at: Amazon
*****
Food – This Is Not A Miracle
Food, the duo that used to be a quartet and really with all the guests on all their albums isn’t really a duo at all, are back with another intriguing album. It’s not a huge departure from what’s come before, but you can definitely see the development of a trail from start to present as their sound changes over time. The heavy touch of editing after improvising is in play here, as the rearrangements of on-the-spot improvisations and jams leaves the music feeling more like collage than composition. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The most notable change is the sense of urgency. The driving tempo and thick, focused melodic line of “Where Dry Desert Ends” defines this album’s shift from past sounds. Much the same but with softer footfalls is the compact melodicism and gentle groove of title-track “This Is Not A Miracle.” Similarly, the skittering “The Concept of Density” sighs the melody out slowly, nicely contrasting with the rapid pace. But a significant element of this album is the scratch, fizzles and blips of guest Christian Fennesz’s electronic music. “The Grain Mill” takes the music from a serene lake harbor to the shadows and dust of factory row. Other instances of Fennesz’s impact aren’t quite as dramatic, but they are clearly a driving force throughout much of the album. Some moments are more successful than others, and some show more personality than others, but they’re all likely to grab your ear.
Your album personnel: Thomas Strønen (drums, electronics percussion, Moog, Fender Rhodes), Iain Ballamy (saxophones, electronics) and Christian Fennesz (guitar, electronics).
Stream an album track on the ECM site.
Available at: Amazon
*****
Mette Henriette – Mette Henriette
And don’t forget about the debut from saxophonist Mette Henriette, a double-album of some very cool music released by ECM in the latter-half of 2015. I’m not gonna say anything more about it now because I wrote plenty a handful of weeks ago.
Read more about this album and listen to audio and, of course, follow any number of the external links to learn more… all of this on Bird is the Worm (LINK).
*****
Robert Middleton
January 19, 2016 @ 8:50 pm
If I were to write a book called the Downfall of ECM Records, I’d use these 6 albums as prime examples of that downfall. Listened to samples of all of them. All I can say is, “I just don’t get it.” This is not what I would define as listenable music. But your opinion may vary. Anyway, thanks Dave for not only pointing out stuff I end up loving but stuff I can safely pass over and not regret buying! Cheers, RM
davesumner
January 19, 2016 @ 10:14 pm
ECM seems to have turned a corner over the last couple years. It’s not as thorough as a sea change of what’s come before, but much of the music they release these days seems far removed from their last, prevalent “sound”… the Bobo Stenson/Tord Gustavsen/Marcin Wasilewski quiet piano trio sessions where the prevailing silence is occasionally broken by a Dave Darling cello burst or the cutting lyricism of an Arild Andersen-Paul Motian rhythmic flurry.
ECM seems to expanding their reach these last couple of years. Not that their roster hasn’t always reflected a diversity of sound… but still, it always seemed to keep to a tight pocket. Lately, it seems like they’re feeling about for a new personality… or maybe just going with a split-personality for awhile. It’s interesting to see, even though I find myself far less addicted to the label’s releases than I was in the previous decade. I went to town scooping up ECM CDs from 2001-2010. Not so much lately.
The thing about the musicians they’ve been attracting to the label lately… Eicher’s production aesthetic is too heavy handed, and it affecting the musicians in ways that materially alter their sound. It’s something that, in my opinion, defeats the purpose of bringing in new blood and new perspectives. But some of that may also be attributable to a feeling out process, with both musicians and label producers/sound engineers figuring out the best way to affect the process and the best way to step back and let the process take care of itself. I actually thought the Ches Smith “The Bell” recording was one of the first notable examples of this… something that made me optimistic.
But I do notice that I just don’t have the same enthusiasm to pick up a new ECM album as I used to. And I also find that I often include some albums in these ECM rundown columns that I think I probably should mention because some of my readers might like them, even if they don’t particularly rock my boat. And I don’t mind doing that. My site is more than just about what I like, but also about albums that have some sort of interesting quality that I think others might gravitate to. It’s why sometimes one of my This Is Jazz Today columns might have seven albums that I just rave about, but also a couple that I say, hey, nothing groundbreaking here but just solid old-school jazz or, hey, this album has its share of flaws but it’s a promising debut… albums that I’d like to put on other people’s radars. It does, however, make me a little sad that more and more of the ECMs getting released seem to fall in the latter category instead of the former.
That said, I’m hopeful that ECM’s current trajectory leads to some unexpectedly cool results. We’ll see. I’m happy to keep culling the list for everyone, that’s for sure. And when I need to, I can always retreat to “Codona III” or “January” or any number of older CDs sitting on my shelf just waiting for me to kick the dust from.
Always good shooting the breeze with you, Rob.
Cheers,
Dave
davesumner
January 19, 2016 @ 10:17 pm
P.S. And, yes, I am very grateful to help in getting people hooked up with the music they love as much as I am helping them avoid music they’d regret getting. All my life, I’ve never had enough cash to completely scoop up all the music I wanted, so I know the sting of purchasing something that I know I’ll never want to hear again. Some of that is unavoidable, but I do hope that I’m steering people away from the music they won’t like and guiding them to the music they will.
-Dave