Laidback and warmly chromatic work from Gary Burton – playing vibes in a group that also has Pat Metheny on guitar, Steve Swallow on bass, Eberhard Weber on acoustic bass, and Dan Gottlieb on drums. Titles include "Sea Journey", "Nacada", "The Whopper", and "Yellow Fields". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Makoto Ozone on piano, Steve Swallow on electric bass, and Mike Hyman on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

With Steve Swallow on bass, Roy Haynes on drums, and Tiger Okoshi on trumpet. LP, Vinyl record album

Mellow vibes and spacious piano – a 70s classic from the team of Chick Corea and Gary Burton, serving up some of their finest work of the decade! The style is a bit mellower and more contemplative than some of Chick's harder-hitting fusion of the time – and he seems to nicely borrow a page from Burton's book on the record, letting space seep into the tracks as much as his own work on the acoustic piano – which is used here in a warmer, more contemplative mode than we normally expect from Corea. Titles include "Senor Mouse", "Desert Air", "I'm Your Pal", "What Game Shall We Play Today", "Crystal Silence", "Falling Grace", and "Children's Song". CD

Mellow vibes and spacious piano – a 70s classic from the team of Chick Corea and Gary Burton, serving up some of their finest work of the decade! The style is a bit mellower and more contemplative than some of Chick's harder-hitting fusion of the time – and he seems to nicely borrow a page from Burton's book on the record, letting space seep into the tracks as much as his own work on the acoustic piano – which is used here in a warmer, more contemplative mode than we normally expect from Corea. Titles include "Senor Mouse", "Desert Air", "I'm Your Pal", "What Game Shall We Play Today", "Crystal Silence", "Falling Grace", and "Children's Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Genius work from the team of Chick Corea on piano and Gary Burton on vibes – both players who were already making a lot of magic in the 70s, but who really seem to explode in the company of each other! Burton's tones are wonderfully bold and firm – these cascading colors that merge perfectly with Corea's piano lines – which themselves have a beautifully understated feel that's quite different than his fusion material – but which seems to pack an even more powerful punch! The album features no other instrumentation at all – yet the range of feeling and expression is much more powerful than most full group performances – on a sublime set of tracks that include "Duet Suite", "Never", "La Fiesta", "Radio", "Song To Gayle", and selections from Corea's "Children's Songs". CD

Genius work from the team of Chick Corea on piano and Gary Burton on vibes – both players who were already making a lot of magic in the 70s, but who really seem to explode in the company of each other! Burton's tones are wonderfully bold and firm – these cascading colors that merge perfectly with Corea's piano lines – which themselves have a beautifully understated feel that's quite different than his fusion material – but which seems to pack an even more powerful punch! The album features no other instrumentation at all – yet the range of feeling and expression is much more powerful than most full group performances – on a sublime set of tracks that include "Duet Suite", "Never", "La Fiesta", "Radio", "Song To Gayle", and selections from Corea's "Children's Songs". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great album from these two giants of the Ornette Coleman generation – and one that also shows just how much space both musicians had traversed since the 60s! Don Cherry plays his familiar pocket trumpet in the lead, but also brings in piano, melodica, organ, and doussn gouni – creating this beautiful sonic palette next to the very creative work on drums and percussion from Blackwell! Both musicians improvise in rhythm-driven modes that seem to have their roots in Ornette's original quartet with the pair – but there's also open ears to a globe's worth of instrumental elements, and decades of new sound shapes as well. Fantastic throughout – with titles that include "Mutron/Bemsha Swing/Solidarity/Arabian Nightingale", Roland Alphonso", "Street Dancing", "Makondi", and "Near In". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album by this wonderful world jazz ensemble – a trio featuring sitar, tabla, and vocals by Colin Wolcott; trumpet, melodica, and percussion by Cherry; and assorted percussion and voice from Nana Vasconcelos. The tracks are mostly atmospheric and exploratory, but work in a style that's better than other examples of this sort of session – and which have made the Codona records stand longer than some other world jazz sessions from the time. Titles include "Walking On Eggs", "Malinye", "Que Faser", "Drip Dry", and "Again & Again Again". LP, Vinyl record album

The third meeting of this world jazz ensemble, with Colin Walcott of Oregon on sitar, tabla and hammered dulcimer, Don Cherry on trumpet, organ and doussn'gouni and Nana Vasconcelos on berimbau and percussion. All three players have always had a very wide reaching approach to playing, even incorporating international elements in their less overtly "world music" projects, and this set finds them once again vibing well off each other. The tunes feature a wide open approach with improvised excursions on traditional and contemporary themes, with 7 tracks in all: "Goshakabuchi", "Hey Da Ba Doom", "Travel By Night", "Lullaby", "Trayra Boia", "Clicky Clacky" and "Inner Organs". LP, Vinyl record album

Jon Christensen joined by Keith Jarrett, Palle Danielson, Ralph Towner, Terje Rypdal, Palle Mikkelborg, veinung Hovensjo, Jon Balke, Arild Andersen, Eberhard Weber, Bobo Stenson, Anders Jorin, Ketil Bjornstad & Bjorn Kjellemyr. CD

Trumpeter Avishai Cohen has given us many great records over the years, yet this time around, he seems to be cooking up something extra-special – an album that still echoes some of his older ideas, but which maybe has a bit more warmth, and a bit more unity – qualities that seem to come partly from the album's use of two different guitarists, whose electric elements provide a nice backdrop for the Cohen's trumpet! Uzi Ramirez plays one guitar, and Yonatan Albalak plays the other, and a bit of bass – but there's also maybe a more pointed drum sound too – not too funky or rhythmic, yet more than we're used to hearing from Avishai, and maybe ECM too. Aviv Cohen and Ziv Ravitz handle the drums – and the latter does some live sampling – and Avishai also adds some electric touches to the record, as well as uses a few effects on his horn. Titles include "The Cow & The Calf", "This Time It's Different", "Fractals", "Hidden CHamber", "Honey Fountain", "The Things You Tell Me", and "Teno Neno". CD

Trumpeter Avishai Cohen has given us many great records over the years, yet this time around, he seems to be cooking up something extra-special – an album that still echoes some of his older ideas, but which maybe has a bit more warmth, and a bit more unity – qualities that seem to come partly from the album's use of two different guitarists, whose electric elements provide a nice backdrop for the Cohen's trumpet! Uzi Ramirez plays one guitar, and Yonatan Albalak plays the other, and a bit of bass – but there's also maybe a more pointed drum sound too – not too funky or rhythmic, yet more than we're used to hearing from Avishai, and maybe ECM too. Aviv Cohen and Ziv Ravitz handle the drums – and the latter does some live sampling – and Avishai also adds some electric touches to the record, as well as uses a few effects on his horn. Titles include "The Cow & The Calf", "This Time It's Different", "Fractals", "Hidden CHamber", "Honey Fountain", "The Things You Tell Me", and "Teno Neno". LP, Vinyl record album

Dark-tinged sounds from trumpeter Avishai Cohen – a set that draws as much from his contributions as it does from the moody piano of Yonathan Avishai – whose sense of spacing and tone really seems to match the overall musical vision of Cohen! Most tracks unfold at a very contemplative pace – drawing from the careful bass of Barak Mori and drums of Nasheet Waits – with a somewhat poetic approach to the melody, but never in any sort of light, lyrical way. The song titles may well give a hint as to the vibe of the set – and tunes include "Will I Die Miss Will I Die", "Shoot Me In The Leg", "50 Years & Counting", and "340 Down". CD

No silence here – and instead just a warm flow of sound from the trumpet of Avishai Cohen, and his well-matched group – a quintet that also features Bill McHenry on tenor, Yonathan Avishai on piano, Eric Revis on bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums – all players who hit the same sort of laidback, ECM-ish vibe that Cohen's going for on the record! Avishai has this very compressed, economic way of handling his horn – never too overblown, but with this subtle power that kind of swells up slowly, then surprises you – a mode that's sometimes signaled by the piano, but which also sometimes leads first, then pulls the piano in its wake. McHenry finds a place to balance between the two, and titles include "Life & Death", "Dream Like A Child", "Into The Silence", "Quiescence", and "Behind The Broken Glass". CD

One of Chick Corea's greatest moments on record – the self-titled album by the legendary Return To Forever group – a combo that included Joe Farrell on saxes, Flora Purim on vocals, Airto on percussion, and Stanley Clarke on bass! The sound is archetypal 70s fusion at its best – filled with soaring electric keyboard work from Chick, and plenty of great Brazilian touches by Airto and Flora. Farrell's reeds help the tunes get a really sharp edge, especially once they get going – and the whole album is an electric piano classic through and through, filled with great titles that include "Sometime Ago/La Fiesta", "Return To Forever", "Crystal Silence", and "What Game Shall We Play Today". LP, Vinyl record album

With Miroslav Vitous and Roy Haynes. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best ECM teams of the 70s – working here together in a wonderful live set! Chick Corea's got this wonderful flow on his piano – almost a quality that's more like the most unbridled Keith Jarrett work for ECM – bursting out with light and color at each new turn, but in a way that makes it feel like Chick's just discovering each sound as it comes to his fingertips! This quality really seems to bring out a freshness in Burton's vibes, too – an ebullience that's even stronger than usual – and not as concerned with deeper-down sounds as some of his other ECM recordings. The whole thing's great – with lots of original tunes by Chick – and titles include "Song To Gayle", "Mirror Mirror", "Crystal Silence", "Bud Powell", and "Senor Mouse". CD

One of the best ECM teams of the 70s – working here together in a wonderful live set! Chick Corea's got this wonderful flow on his piano – almost a quality that's more like the most unbridled Keith Jarrett work for ECM – bursting out with light and color at each new turn, but in a way that makes it feel like Chick's just discovering each sound as it comes to his fingertips! This quality really seems to bring out a freshness in Burton's vibes, too – an ebullience that's even stronger than usual – and not as concerned with deeper-down sounds as some of his other ECM recordings. The whole thing's great – with lots of original tunes by Chick – and titles include "Song To Gayle", "Mirror Mirror", "Crystal Silence", "Bud Powell", and "Senor Mouse". CD

One of the best ECM teams of the 70s – working here together in a wonderful live set! Chick Corea's got this wonderful flow on his piano – almost a quality that's more like the most unbridled Keith Jarrett work for ECM – bursting out with light and color at each new turn, but in a way that makes it feel like Chick's just discovering each sound as it comes to his fingertips! This quality really seems to bring out a freshness in Burton's vibes, too – an ebullience that's even stronger than usual – and not as concerned with deeper-down sounds as some of his other ECM recordings. The whole thing's great – with lots of original tunes by Chick – and titles include "Song To Gayle", "Mirror Mirror", "Crystal Silence", "Bud Powell", and "Senor Mouse". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from this famous pair – piano and vibes mixed with string quartet! LP, Vinyl record album

With John Abercrombie on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the excellent DeJohnette albums cut for ECM in the mid 70s. He's playing here with John Abercrombie, Alex Foster, Mike Richmond and Warren Bernhardt in an electric setting, and the vibe has the sort of wide open feel that a lot of progressive players were exploring at the time: a sort of post-modal, post-free approach that relied heavily on intuitive improvisation and expansive lines that never get too strident. 7 numbers mostly written by DeJohnette, some in collaboration with the group memebers, including "Flying Spirits", "Pansori Visions", "Fantastic", "The Vikings Are Coming", "Struttin", "Morning Star" and "Malibu Reggae". LP, Vinyl record album

Lovely early vocals from Sidsel Endresen – a set that possibly owes a bit to the experimental European vocalists of decades before, yet which already starts to show the new directions Sidsel and her generation would explore! The tunes are spare, but wonderfully thoughtful – sung by Endresen in a mode that's nicely understated – full of feeling, yet without being overly expressive – so that she's the warmest element on the session – alongside piano from Django Bates, percussion from Jon Christensen, and trumpet and flugelhorn from Nils Petter Molvaer. Titles include "This Is The Movie", "So I Write", "Horses In Rain", "Truth", "Spring", and "Mirror Images". CD

Peter Erskine on drums, John Taylor on piano & Palle Danielsson on drums. CD

Bill Frisell on guitar & Thomas Morgan on double bass. CD

Features tenor and soprano sax from Jan Garbarek – plus a bit of keyboards – with viola from Kim Kashkashian and drums from Manu Katche! CD

With Rainer Bruninghaus, Nana Vasconcelos, and Eberhard Weber. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Jan Garbarek on tenor, soprano, percussion, and wood flutes – with Bill Frisell on guitar, Eberhard Weber on bass, and Jon Christensen on drums and percussion! LP, Vinyl record album

Jan Garbarek on soprano & tenor saxophones, synthesizers, samplers & percussion. CD

With Garbarek on tenor and soprano sax, Bill Frisell on guitar, Eberhard Weber on bass, and Michael DiPasqua on drums and percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

Saxophonist Jan Garbarek has always had a great ear for an unusual setting for his horns – and here, he continues that strong legacy by working with Kjell Johnsen – a keyboardist who plays a pipe organ in a very spacious way! The mix of the large instrument and the ECM production style comes across beautifully – slightly sinister at some times, moodier at others – all with Garbarek spinning his loose, open lines on both tenor and soprano sax, and a bit of wood flute at one point. The music is very painterly and evocative – and titles include "Bue", "Linje", "Syn", "Aftenland", "Enigma", "Iskirken", and "Tegn". CD

Jan Garbarek performs on reeds with a quartet of vocalists. CD

Includes four ragas composed by Ustad Fateh Ali Khan and the Garbarek composition "Saga" featuring Manu Katche on percussion. CD

Spare European work from Egberto Gismonti – a set that's different than his fuller earlier work from Brazil, but still pretty compelling overall! Gismonti's playing here with a group of familiar ECM artists – mixing his own piano, guitar, and percussion lines with soprano sax from Jan Garbarek, guitar and percussion from Ralph Towner, tabla from Collin Wolcott, and berimbau and assorted percussion from Nana Vasconcelos. Many tunes are spare, but not nearly as cerebral as other ECM work – as Gismonti brings a very organic feel to the record, one that resonates strongly with Wolcott – and helps keep things in a loosely creative space. Tracks include "Cafe", "Sapain", "Coracao", "Kalimba", and the great "Raga", with excellent work by Wolcott! LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the side long "Selva Amazonica/Pau Rolou", "Ano Zero", "Frevo", "Salvador" and "Ciranda Nordestina". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Tord Gustavsen on piano, Harald Johnsen on bass, and Jarle Vespestad on drums! CD

With Harald Johnsen on double bass, Jarle Vespestad on drums. CD

Moody atmospherics from the second wave of ECM – a spacious trio outing that features Charlie Haden on bass, Jan Garbarek on saxophones, and Egberto Gismonti on guitars and piano. With any other group of players, the setting might be a bit too spare and relaxed for our ears, but Gismonti really manages to work in some beautiful notes in the added room of the set – and Haden's basswork is exceptionally recorded, and tuned with that deepening sense of soul he brought to his later years so well. Garbarek's solos punctuate the quieter moments nicely – and titles include "Bailarina", "Magico", "Silence", "Spor", and "Palhaco". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the avant garde classics in the early catalog of ECM Records – a set that has bassist Dave Holland working with two key bandmates from the Circle group – Anthony Braxton on saxes and flute, and Barry Altschul on percussion – as well as the great Sam Rivers on flute and sax, who was really taking off at the time! All tracks are originals by Holland – and Rivers' emotive, flowing approach proves the perfect balance for Braxton's intellectual approach – in a setting that really brings the most out of both players, thanks in part to elastic rhythms from Holland and Altschul. The overall approach leaves a great deal of space on this atmospheric set – but not in the usual mellower ECM way. Titles include "Four Winds", "Q & A", "Conference Of The Birds", "Interception", "Now Here (Nowhere)", and "See Saw". LP, Vinyl record album

Holland plays bass, in a group that also includes Steve Coleman on alto, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn, Robin Eubanks on trombone, and Marvin Smitty Smith on drums. CD

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A trio session with Julia Hulsmann on piano, Marc Muellbauer on bass, and Heinrich Kobberling on drums. CD

With Hariprasad Chaurasia, John McLaughlin, and Jan Garbarek. LP, Vinyl record album

Open, expressive sounds from the team of Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet and Vijay Iyer on piano, Fender Rhodes, and electronics – all served up in a mode that's quite different from recent records by either musician! The "rhythm" in the title here might be a bit misplaced – as the tunes have very little groove, and instead allow both Smith and Iyer to stretch out boldly in space – Leo on a mix of muted and fully-blown modes, Iyer maybe taking some of his previous ECM lines into even freer territory. The use of electric elements next to Smith's horn is especially nice – and titles include "Marian Anderson", "Passage", and the long title suite "A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke". CD

Keith Jarrett in our favorite side of his talents – playing the long, improvised style that first made him a breakthrough artist on ECM in the 70s – and which still remains one of his most important contributions to the history of jazz! Even later years, Jarrett's sense of imagination on the keys is amazing – and here, you'll hear very few echoes of other improvisations – long tracks that show that Keith is always able to create spontaneously, at a level that few others can match – especially as he never goes too far outside, or seems to lose a sense of melody in his music. The work is divided up into shorter passages – the older Jarrett sometimes needs a break on the keys, but never in his cognition – and as with other concert recordings of this type, the encores are older standards – "Answer Me My Love" and "It's A Lonesome Old Town" – but both given a very free, open Keith Jarrett approach! CD

One of Keith Jarrett's pieces for a larger orchestra – done with the Syracuse Symphony, conducted by Christopher Keene – but still with Jarrett's piano in the lead! LP, Vinyl record album

A live performance from pianist Keith Jarrett, recorded at Suntory Hall in Tokyo – but one that's a bit different than some of the solo sets that came earlier in his career, as it's got both a different sound and different style overall! The tracks here aren't side-long improvisations, and instead are shorter tunes that offer up a compressed version of the freewheeling Jarrett style on the piano – still with a sense of openness that really sets Keith apart from the rest, but maybe with more pronounced melodies – although many of those are as dark as you might guess from the title! Tracks include "Fire Dance", "Ritual Prayer", "Hymn", "Americana", "Parallels", and "Entrance". CD

A key early moment for Keith Jarrett – his first-ever solo album, recorded in the early 70s for ECM – and the start of a huge legacy of later work! Before this set, Jarrett had recorded some compelling trio material for Atlantic – and he was also exploring more spiritually soulful tones over at Impulse Records too. But this record is something else entirely – a new showcase for his sensitive expressions – the kind of angular, yet poetic lines that sparkled strongly in the trio recordings, yet stand out even more on their own! Tunes are beautifully penned – and titles include "In Front", "Ritooria", "Lalene", "Starbright", "Vapallia", and "Semblence". LP, Vinyl record album

Magical solo work from pianist Keith Jarrett – a set that's comprised almost entirely of standards, similar to some of the better-known trio recordings in this format by the artist – and which has Jarrett playing in this really evocative way that definitely lives up to the title! The solo performances aren't nearly as open or longform as his other recordings without any other players – melodies are intact throughout – but Keith does really have a way of opening up the songs, and almost making them sound like these very fragile, very personal poems that spin from his fingers on the keys of the piano. Titles include "Don't Ever Leave Me", "I Loves You Porgy", "Blame It On My Youth", "Meditation", "Something To Remember You By", and "I'm Through With Love". CD

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A strong quartet date, with a bit more edge than some of his solo piano records – thanks to work by Jan Garbarek on soprano and tenor, Palle Danielsson on bass, and John Christensen on drums. Jarrett also plays a bit of percussion and timbales! LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring Keith Jarrett on piano & percussion, Jan Garbarek on tenor & soprano sax, Palle Danielsson on bass, and Jon Christensen on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Two solo piano performances, recorded in Osaka and Tokyo. CD

Sublime solo piano – from that early 70s moment when Keith Jarrett was not only finding a whole new voice for himself, but also creating a whole new format in music! The tracks here are all long, live, solo improvisations – played by Jarrett at a level that's unbridled, but never totally free jazz – full of spirit and imagination, and always with this sense of tunefulness that's maybe even more impressive than if he was playing in a noisier way! LP, Vinyl record album

4 beautiful side-long solo piano pieces from Keith Jarrett – "Staircase", "Hourglass", "Sundial", and "Sand". LP, Vinyl record album

A studio session from Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden. Tracks include "For All We Know", "No Moon At All", " Body & Soul", "Where Can I Go Without You", and "Don't Ever Leave Me". CD

Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden have been playing together for many decades – growing together in each other's musical lives, and continuing to find rich new ways of expression – even on more subtle sessions like this! The duo take on some of the standards territory that Keith's explored often with a trio – but work together wonderfully without any drums in the mix – as Charlie's bass blocks out these spare, solid spaces that Keith quickly fills with really lovely, lyrical lines on piano! There's not a huge amount of surprises in the record – but that's also what makes the whole thing so strong – as both players could really show off in such an unfettered setting, but instead choose to maturely show their strengths in such a subtle, but really effective way. Titles include "My Ship", "Round Midnight", "It Might As Well Be Spring", "Godobye", "Everything Happens To Me", and "My Old Flame". CD

The best Keith Jarrett spirit of the 70s – those long, exploratory lines he virtually invented on solo piano – performed here by pianist Dennis Russell Davies! The set's one of the warmest we've ever heard from Davies – as he spins out on two side-long interpretations of this composition by Jarrett – a piece that clearly allows a lot of room for personal introspection, in a way that makes it very much a blending of the two individuals. The work is less freewheeling than some of Keith's long improvisations, but has a very similar spirit – and stands nicely next to those solo piano classics on ECM. The set features one long piece – "Ritual" – over both sides of the record. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful duets, in the best ECM tradition – Glen Moore on bass and violin, and Larry Karush on piano! LP, Vinyl record album

With Kim Kashkashian on viola and Robert Levin on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from pianist Steve Kuhn – working here with a group that features Steve Slagel on soprano, alto, flute, and percussion – plus Harvie Swartz on bass and Bob Moses on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the darkest Steve Kuhn albums we've ever heard – a record of introspective piano lines, set amidst contemplative orchestrations from Carlos Franzetti! The style is incredibly moving – bringing a depth to Kuhn's work that we haven't heard in years – an approach that has him acting more like a painter in sound than the highly rhythmic pianist of earlier records. There's a quality here that's almost soundtrack-oriented at times, and Kuhn's dark tones are the highlight of the set – moving slowly in space to really find their own kind of sound – as Franzetti is very careful never to overdo things with the arrangements. Titles include "Adagio", "Promises Kept", "Life's Backward Glance", "Trance", "Morning Day", and "Pastorale". CD

Steve Kuhn's a player who's always got our ears – a pianist we've loved from the late 60s onwards, still sounding great on this lovely set for ECM! There's a warmth here we haven't heard from Kuhn in a while – almost a return to those lyrical modes we loved in his 70s work for the label, particularly his acoustic lines – which always seemed to have this open flow that was definitely informed by work on Fender Rhodes, yet still in a very classic style overall! Kuhn's amazing here – and the album's one that definitely lives up to all of our love for his older records – and the trio is perfectly subtle, too – with gentle work on bass from Steve Swallow and quietly evocative drums from Joey Baron. Titles include "Chalet", "Romance", "Pastorale", "Wisteria", "Promises Kept", "Dark Glasses", "A Likely Story", and "Permanent Wave". CD

Features Art Lande on piano, Mark Isham on trumpet, Bill Douglass on bass and flute, and Glenn Cronkhite on drums and percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

A standout moment from pianist Art Lande – maybe his best-remembered date for the ECM label – in part because the record features wonderful work from Jan Garbarek on flute, soprano, and bass saxophone! The simple duet mode is a bit different here than on other ECM dates – as Lande can sometimes have a fuller approach to the keyboard, which is best echoed by Garbarek on flute – which he blows with a tone that is lean, but surprisingly biting, even when melodic. And although Jan blows other horns on the date, the record seems to be an especially great showcase for his flute – on titles that include "Waltz For A", "Quintennaisance", "Awakening Midweek", "Miss Fortune", and "Cherifen Dream Of Renate". CD

A large group set – with Dave on tenor, soprano sax, and flute – with Richard Beirach on electric piano, plus lots of added players on percussion! LP, Vinyl record album

A great example of the sound of ECM in the early 70s, with Liebman playing in his post-Miles band angular modernist style with warm electric and acoustic accompaniment from Richard Beirach, Frank Tusa and Jeff Williams rounding out the quartet . The set is made up of three long, spiralling numbers, with the players intersecting and weaving together their lines, blurring the difference between solos, group improvisation and head melodies, and there's a large host of guest players, including John Abercrombie, Don Alias and Badal Roy. Titles include "Pablo's Story", "Sam's Float" and "MD/Lookout Farm". LP, Vinyl record album

A key album from the later Charles Lloyd years on ECM – from a moment when the saxophonist seemed to be completely reinvigorated, and exploring very different territories than his music of the 60s! Part of the sound has Lloyd hitting a few ECM vibes – hard not to do with a group that features John Abercrombie on guitar, Dave Holland on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – but there's also moments that are looser and freer, too – really showing the individuality that's always been such a hallmark of Charles' recordings, and which here is hardly going to cowtow to any sort of stricter style for the label. The tenor work is superb – very sinuous and constantly exploring, but never overindulgent – and titles include "Voice In The Night", "Dorotea's Studio", "Homage", "Pocket Full Of Blues", "Forest Flower Sunrise/Sunset", and "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing". CD

With Brad Mehldau on piano, John Abercrombie on guitar, Larry Grenadier on double bass & Billy Higgins on drums. CD

Joe Maneri on clarinet, piano & alto & tenor saxes, Joe Morris on guitar & Mat Maneri on violin. CD

One of the most earthy, organic offerings of the Herbie Hancock scene of the 70s – a session that's led by Headhunter reedman Bennie Maupin, and which also features Herbie on acoustic and electric piano – all in a sound that's quite different from his own work of the time! The tracks here have a very spacious, slow-building approach – a sound that's often quite stark at times, and not nearly as funky or soul-directed as you might expect. Maupin shows incredible sensitivity in his way of putting together a tune – letting things come together quite naturally, almost with the botanical quality you might expect from the title. Other players include Buster Williams on bass, Freddie Waits and Billy Hart on drums, Bill Summers on percussion, and Charles Sullivan on trumpet – all used quite spaciously and sparingly. Titles include "Esenada", "Mappo", "Excursion", "Past Is Past", "The Jewel In The Lotus", and "Song For Tracie Dixon Summers". CD

Art Lande on piano & percussion, David Samuels on vibraphone, marimba & percussion & Paul McCandless on soprano saxophone, English horn, oboe, bass clarinet & flute. CD

One of Metheny's seminal sides for ECM, in a trio with Jaco Pastorius and Bob Moses. 8 tracks in all, including "Bright Size Life", "Sirabhorn", "Unity Village", "Missouri Uncompromised", "Midwestern Nights Dream", "Ubiquity Road", "Omaha Celebration" and "Round Trip/Broadway Blues". CD

A completely solo album from Pat Metheny – but one that still sparkles with the same sort of energy as his fuller group sessions for ECM! At a point when Pat could be content to simply scrawl a few simple lines on the strings of his guitar, he instead does a great job of complicating things here – working with a bit of overdub to explode in fuller sounds that are totally great – played on acoustic and electric guitars, including 6, 12, and 15 stringed versions – as well as a bit of bass. Titles include "Hermitage", "Daybreak", "Sueno Con Mexico", "New Chautauqua", and "Country Poem". CD

A seminal record in the formation of the Pat Metheny sound of the 70s – a set that brings his wonderfully chromatic work on guitar into play with the piano of Lyle Mays – all at a level that's so stripped-down and spacious, you can easily hear all the genius as it unfolds! And yet the album's also markedly different from some of the other ECM material at the time – as Pat's really stating himself with some more personal ideas, a bit of warm tunefulness, and maybe just a slight current of sentiment – which is what makes the record so wonderful, and so different than some of his labelmates. The set also features Eberhard Weber on bass and Dan Gottlieb on drums – on titles that include "Lakes", "River Quay", "Watercolors", "Icefire", "Oasis", and "Sea Song". CD

A sweet trio session with Charlie Haden on bass and Bill Higgins on drums. Titles include "The Calling", "Tears Inside", "Lonely Woman", and "Rejoicing". CD

All music & voices composed & performed by Stephan Micus. CD