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". 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

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

A fantastic trio of talents – coming together in the best ECM mode that always seems to make a really special sort of magic out of very individual talents! The album's led by drummer Andrew Cyrille, but is equally balanced between the talents of Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet and Bill Frisell on guitar – both players who seem somehow more vibrant than usual in the setting – which is often quite free, freer than most of Frisell's recent work – but also maybe more focused than usual for Smith, whose presence here is completely magnificent! If anything, the record's the sort that will make you go – "Wow, these guys? I love them already – but they sound especially great here!" Cyrille is fantastic, too – very loose and open on the kit, but never sloppy – and always playing with that sensitive, thoughtful approach that's set him apart from the rest. Titles include "Worried Woman", "Lebroba", "TGD", "Pretty Beauty", and "Turiya – Alice Coltrane Meditations & Dreams – Love". CD

An album that certainly lives up to the promise of its title – as the set features sublime solo cello from David Darling – who plays both the standard acoustic version of the instrument, and an unusual 8 string electric hybrid! Both instruments are used in ways that resonate strongly with the ECM style of the time – music that's in a space both beyond jazz and classical solo cello modes – very poetic at times, with an overall sense of sound that's really wonderful – subtle at points, more strongly melodic at others – and never gimmicky at all. Titles include "No Place Nowhere", "In November", "Darkwood II", "Lament", "Two Or Three Things", "Psalm", "Totem", and "Fables". CD

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The fragile side of Bill Frisell, captured here in a really beautiful way – a set of unadorned live duets with bassist Thomas Morgan – playing together at the Village Vanguard, with a sound that's maybe even slightly warmer than the album might have been than if recorded by ECM in the studio! The set's got Bill using all these subtle, careful elements in his guitar – sounds that might be overshadowed in a larger setting, especially when his work on the strings gets a bit more complex – and Morgan's bass is often quite spacious, leaving much of the core energy to come from Bill. Titles include "Mumbo Jumbo", "Lush Life", "Save The Last Dance For Me", "All In Fun", "Wildwood Flower", "You Only Live Twice", and "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning". CD

With Garbarek on tenor and soprano sax, Keith Jarrett on piano, Palle Danielsson on bass, and Jon Christensen on drums. Titles include "The Windup", "Belonging", "Solstice", "Spiral Dance", and "Blossom". CD

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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

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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Subtle sounds, in a beautiful space – the well-matched soprano and tenor sax of Jan Garbarek and bass of Miroslav Vitous – given a slight extra punch from the drums of Peter Erskine! Garbarek and Vitous always sound great together – and the record gives them plenty of room to really open up and explore in the best ECM tradition – while Erskine's work on the drums is nicely loose, too – and often almost seems to follow the impulses of the two other players, particularly Miroslav's warm, round basslines. Titles include "Lamenting", "Jumper", "Star", "Anthem", "Roses For You", "Clouds In The Mountain", and "The Music Of My People". CD

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2 amazing albums from the 2nd version of the Jimmy Giuffre 3! After working with his first combo of Bob Brookmeyer and Jim Hall during the late 50s, Giuffre hooked up with a pair of younger modernists – Paul Bley and Steve Swallow – reintroducing the piano and bass to his trio format, instruments that had been previously missing because Giuffre wanted to explore the possibilities of melodic composition freed from rhythmic constraints. With this trio, Giuffre was still working in that mode – as you'll hear on Bley and Swallow's incredibly free playing. The group's performances are not free jazz by any means, but they're a key link in that tradition – as Giuffre and crew do an excellent job of creating unconventional compositions, most of which feel like little sculptures in sound. There's a total of 20 tracks on 2CDs – and titles include "Cry, Want", "Trudgin", "Jesus Maria", "Ictus", "Sonic", "Whirrrrr", "The Gamut", "Herb & Ictus", and "Flight". Both records originally available on Verve, now repackaged by ECM. CD

One of the few albums as a leader from guitarist Mick Goodrick – a musician who's strong sense of color made him a perfect sideman for vibist Gary Burton in the 70s – and who here explores some wonderful territory of his own! The quartet here features superb work from John Surman – on soprano, baritone, and bass clarinet – and in a way, it often feels as if Surman is the leader, as Goodrick lets him stand out strong, and first – spinning out these great solos that definitely showcase the more soulful side of his talents – perhaps inspired by the warm tones of Goodrick. Mick still gets plenty of space on his own – the songs are mostly pretty long – and rhythm is from the very openly sensitive team of Eddie Gomez on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Titles include "Feebles Fables & Ferns", "In The Tavern Of Ruin", "Summer Band Camp", and "Pedalpusher". CD

Beautiful solo bass work from Larry Grenadier – a record that fits perfectly in the best ECM tradition, yet also provides a stunning showcase for the artist as well! The recording quality is superb – and Grenadier finds so many ways to create different shades and tones with his instrument – sometimes bowing, sometimes plucking, always with a different vibe on each of the album's tracks – and occasionally hitting modes that have us running to the notes, confirming that there's no other instrument used at all on the recording. Titles include "Vineland", "Gleaner", "Pettiford", "Oceanic", "Bagatelle", "My Man's Gone Now", "A Novel In A Sigh", and "The Owl Of Cranston". CD

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A great record from a great group – a quartet led by drummer Billy Hart, but which features a very equal constellation of sounds from Mark Turner on tenor, Ethan Iverson on piano, and Ben Street on bass! There's a soulful, spiritual beginning to the record that's mighty nice – one of the deepest sounds we've heard from ECM in years, yet also mixed with that later ECM talent for spacing out the notes – which affords us a space in which to contemplate the subtle, individual contributions of each player as they contribute to the vibe of the session. Turner and Iverson really push things at some of the best points, giving the record a tonal complexity that really holds our interest – and titles include "Song For Balkis", "Ohnedaruth", "Tolli's Dance", "Nostalgia For The Impossible", "Old Wood", and "Nigeria". CD

With Chris Potter, Robin Eubanks, Steve Nelson, and Billy Kilson. 8 tracks in all: "Looking Up", "Make Believe", "A Seeking Spirit", "High Wire", "Jugglers Paradise", "Candlelight Vigil", "Wonders Never Cease" and "Down Time". CD

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A great little trio session from Keith Jarrett – still in the mode of some of his other ECM work, but almost a bit more back to basics as well! The group here features Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums – both working beautifully with Keith in a flurry of colors, tones, and pulsating rhythms – the latter of which really drive along the two-part composition "Flying", which takes up most of the set. The shorter "Prism" completes the record – a number that's a bit more contemplative overall, and which features some of those beautifully rounded tones that were virtually Peacock's trademark at the time. CD

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

Beautifully complex work from Keith Jarrett – and one of the 70s albums that really shows his blossoming past jazz into a whole realm of new styles! The album features some works for instrumental ensembles – including a String Quartet and a Brass Quartet – plus a large orchestral piece with flute, and some shorter works with instrumental groups – including one with Ralph Towner on guitar, and another with four cellos and a trombone. LP, Vinyl record album

A genre-defining moment from pianist Keith Jarrett – a record that really set the world on fire, and which continues to charm all these many decades later! Although Jarrett had already made some amazing music in a trio setting during the 60s, and in his more freewheeling groups with Dewey Redman in the early 70s, it's this sort of format that forever put him on the map – long, extended improvised passages on solo piano – played at a level that's still extremely lyrical, tuneful, and thoughtful – quite different than the free jazz waves that were building at the time! And while so many other people copied the style over the years, nobody does it better than Jarrett – especially on this landmark outing for the style. The work is amazing – extremely compelling as little melodies drift in and out of the waves of piano improvisation – without any of the sloppiness of some of Jarrett's imitators, and a surprising sense of soul and direction throughout! 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". LP, Vinyl record album

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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

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The Keith Jarrett trio can take just about any tune and make it their own – as you'll hear in this wonderful set that has the group still going strong, well into the 21st Century! As with some of their previous outings, the tunes here are mostly familiar standards, but played with a fluid, open quality that's really unique – Keith himself blocking out these waves of sound that approximate the melody, but really extrapolate from it – Gary Peacock handling the bass with these round, extended tones that seem to wrap up the whole group together – and Jack DeJohnette as a master of understatement, yet making these really important inflections all the time as well. Titles include "Shawnuff", "Yesterdays", "Strollin", "A Sleepin Bee", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Stella By Starlight". CD

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Steve Kuhn takes on the music of John Coltrane – but in a way that's very different than just a standard Coltrane copycat record, thanks to the sensitive sound of his own piano, and some great tenor work from Joe Lovano! Lovano fills in the space of Coltrane here, but his approach is quite different than the Great One – a bit more spacious, almost tentative at points – which could also be the ECM aspect of the recording kicking in, too – and Kuhn's piano has a much more sensitive quality than you'd ever hear in the music of McCoy Tyner – almost less fluid than some of Steve's more recent recordings, especially Japanese ones – with a spare-stepping sound that's almost consciously avoiding any of Coltrane's modal modes. The rest of the quartet features David Finck on bass and Joey Barron on drums – and titles include "Song Of Praise", "Crescent", "Living Space", "Central Park West", "Like Sonny", "Spiritual", "Jimmy's Mode", and "Configuration" – plus the Kuhn numbers "Trance" and "With Gratitude". CD

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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". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of the most striking Pat Metheny albums of the period – as the set features the guitarist working with an all-star group that actually features 2 horn players! The group's a quintet, with Dewey Redman and Michael Brecker on tenor sax – blowing in open and spacious modes that complement the sound of Metheny's guitar nicely and really give the set a different feel. The rest of the group features Charlie Haden on bass and Jack De Johnette on drums – and the double space of the set is well used on a set of tracks that includes "Two Folk Songs", "The Bat", "Turnaround", and "Goin Ahead". CD

A live album, but every bit as seminal as the studio sides that Pat Metheny cut for ECM at the time – and proof that the Metheny magic was clearly his own, and not just a product of studio tricks by Manfred Eicher! The set reprises tunes and themes from a variety of Metheny's earlier ECM albums – but the live presentation of the material somehow really transforms a number of them – pushing them into a soundspace that's similar to the one explored by Pat on the Offramp album, augmented especially by the presence of percussionist Nana Vasconcelos in the group. Titles include "Phase Dance", "Farmer's Trust", "Straight On Red", "The Fields The Sky", "Are You Going With Me", "Extradition", "Going Ahead", "As Falls Wichita So Falls Wichita Falls", and "Travels". LP, Vinyl record album

A great trio session from drummer Paul Motian – with Charles Brackeen on soprano and tenor sax, and David Izenzon on bass! LP, Vinyl record album

Mike Nock has always been a pianist with so many varied shades and styles to his talents – and here, he makes a rare ECM appearance in a set that's nicely different from most of his other albums of the 70s – maybe a bit more sensitive at times, but also maybe more freewheeling too – with these beautiful long tracks that have Nock really reveling in the tone of his instrument, but also working things with an inherent sense of rhythm too! The approach makes for these compelling spun-out tunes that pulsate beautifully – given subtle but strong support from Eddie Gomez on bass and Jon Christensen on drums. Titles include "Forgotten Love", "Ondas", "Visionary", "Doors", and "Land Of The Long White Cloud". LP, Vinyl record album

The Oregon sound, still alive and well into the 80s – perhaps given even more room to express itself in an ECM setting like this! The album's a mix of angular notes and warmer tones – very much the experimentalism that the group prided itself on at the time – and which really set the tune for a whole generation of imitations, some of which were already showing in the rest of the jazz world by the time of this release. Yet Oregon proves by the set that they're still the leading lights of the this side of the jazz spectrum – keeping things fresh with an ever-changing array of instrumentation from Ralph Towner, Colin Walcott, Paul McCandless, and Glen Moore. Titles include "Skyline", "Impending Bloom", "Beacon", "Rapids", "Taos", and "Beside A Brook". LP, Vinyl record album

A very different setting than some of the more spacious Barre Phillips albums of the 70s – as this set has him working in a mixed electric/acoustic mode – with a core quartet that features John Surman on baritone, soprano, and bass clarinet – plus Stu Martin on drums and Dieter Feichtner on electronics – a trio that really gets going when Martin and Surman also play some electronics as well! The mode is maybe more like some of Surman's albums that mix reed lines with electronics – although the presence of Phillips is still often felt in the deeper, darker corners of the record and the album features a long suite of "Mountainscapes", with an appearance from guitarist John Abercrombie on the final passage. CD

A nicely mature album from trumpeter Enrico Rava – one that really explores the space between the notes, and which has Rava in the company of a very well-matched quintet! Enrico always had a sense of "less is more" in his horn, right from the start – but that quality only blossomed even more strongly over the course of years – to a point where his leadership seemed to inspire his best contemporaries to find the perfect sort of balance in which to work. That's definitely the case here – on a record that draws subtle, but powerful sounds from a lineup that includes Gianluca Petrella on trombone, Stefano Bollani on piano, Rosario Bonaccorso on bass, and Roberto Gatto on drums. Tracks include the great title reworking of "Easy Living" – plus "Cromosomi", "Hornette & The Drums Thing", "Blancasnow", "Algir Dalbughi", "Drops", and "Traveling Night". CD

A classic session from this incredible trumpeter – a quartet with Roswell Rudd on trombone, JF Jenny-Clark on bass, and Aldo Romano on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most widely-circulated albums in the early years of Wadada Leo Smith – an ECM session that not only gave the trumpeter the kind of exposure he wasn't getting with his independent and import albums – but also a record that reminded the world that the label also had a strong commitment to the avant garde! There's a wonderfully lyrical vibe to the record – as Smith spins things out alongside a core trio of Dwight Andrews on tenor, bass clarinet, and alto flute – and the great Bobby Naughton on vibes, marimbas, and bells – musicians who work with Leo in the kind of open, instrument-changing space first inspired by the AACM – but with the inherent sense of poetry that Smith always brought to his own music. The record features guest work from Charlie Haden's bass on one track, and from the trumpets of Kenny Wheeler and Lester Bowie on another – and titles include "Divine Love", "Tastalun", and "Spirituals The Language Of Love". CD

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Performed by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tonu Kaljuste conductor. CD

A beautifully personal album from Ralph Towner – a set that's maybe got more going on than just a diary – as the whole thing has a very poetic approach to the sound, one that's really in keeping with the new modes of expression that Towner helped bring to ECM! There's a bit of overdub at times – so that Ralph also adds in a bit of piano and gong next to his more familiar work on 12-string and classical guitar – both instruments used in ways that are very different than the new acoustic underground that emerged in the 60s, and than most other jazz uses of the instruments too. It's almost as if Towner were learning lessons from Derek Bailey about unusual ways to approach the instrument – but then went off in more tuneful, melodic pursuits – on titles that include "Icarus", "Mon Enfant", "Dark Spirit", "Entry In A Diary", "Erg", and "The Silence Of A Candle". CD

Moody musings from guitarist Ralph Towner – recorded here on 12-string and classical guitar, plus a bit of piano – and working with a quartet that includes Jan Garbarek on sax and flute, Eberhard Weber on bass and cello, and Jon Christensen on drums and percussion. The group do a nice job of mixing up sweeter Towner moments with numbers that have a darker, almost noisier edge at times – and Garbarek's work on soprano sax gives the record some of its best moments. Early genius on ECM! Titles include the slightly funky "Piscean Dance", plus "Sand", "Red & Black", "Oceanus", "Visitation", and "Drifting Petals". LP, Vinyl record album

Two of the greatest things going for ECM in the 70s – brought together on one record! The vibes of Gary Burton are a wonderful match for the careful guitar work of Ralph Towner – particularly his 12-string guitar, which is used in a space that's somewhere between folk and jazz, and which seems to evoke Gary Burton's Tennessee roots in a really poetic way! The style isn't entirely jazz, although that term is the best description for it – and instead, both players find this really magical space together – creating special sounds that resonate with sensitivity and a unique sort of soul. Titles include "Drifting Petals", "Icarus", "Brotherhood", "Song For A Friend", and "Goodbye Pork Pie Hate". LP, Vinyl record album

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Drummer Edward Vesala has his roots in the more dynamic Finnish fusion scene of the 70s – but here, he's working in the spacious ECM mode that really defined the second half of his career! The group's a relatively large one, heavy on saxes and flute – with reed lines from Pentti Lahti, Jorma Tapio, Tapani Rinne, and Kari Heinila – all blowing slowly, and with a very open sense of space – amidst harp, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, and accordion – often used in equally gently ways, so that the album has a sense of sound shapes, and an almost painterly approach to jazz. Titles include "The Wind", "Third Moon", "Lumi", "Camel Walk", "Fingo", "Early Messenger", and "Frozen Melody". CD

Bassist Miroslav Vitous is at the top of his game here – working in sublime open space that allows plenty of room for the groundbreaking inflections and tones that made him such an important musician – in the company of a quartet that also includes John Surman on baritone and soprano sax, John Taylor on piano, and Jon Christensen on drums! As you can imagine with such a lineup, the musicians are very well-suited to each other – freed up from typical melodic and rhythmic modes, but also never too free either – that special sort of sonic space that all four of them seemed best suited to explore in an ECM setting. There's a great balance of warmth and sophistication, which benefits all four players – and titles include "Only One", "Windfall", "U Dunaje U Prespurka", "Paragraph Jay", and "Carry On No 1". CD

The basshapes of Eberhard Weber are already great enough in a spare, stripped-down ECM setting – but here, they get great exposure amidst some even more compelling tonal landscapes – as Weber works with strong solo piano from Rainer Bruninghaus, and rich sounds on celli, oboe, and French Horns from various members of the Oslo Philharmonic! The album's one of those great 70s moments in which the luminous qualities of the ECM approach are blended with a richer palette of sound – with results that are completely wonderful, and which never bury the energy that you'd find in a solo or small group Weber setting – somehow enhancing it in a really beautiful way. Titles include "T On A White Horse", "Moana 1", "The Following Morning", and "Moana 2". CD

A set that has Weber working with great reeds from Charlie Mariano – alongside keyboards from Rainer Brunighaus and drums from John Marshall, who also plays percussion too. Titles include "Bali", "A Dark Spell", "The Last Stage Of A Long Journey", and "No Trees He Said". Mariano really gives the records a nice bite – a bit more than usual for ECM! LP, Vinyl record album

The album's got trumpeter Kenny Wheeler as the leader, but the sound here is equally resonant with contributions from all members of the group – including the amazing John Taylor on piano, with Mike Brecker on tenor, David Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums! The record's the kind of small group set that seems to embrace all the larger formations that Wheeler worked with earlier in his career – balancing a sense of individualism and larger sonic majesty in a perfect way – really giving Taylor the right sort of setting to unfurl with all his best imagination, and allowing Brecker to remind the world that he's still got plenty of sharper jazz chops away from the world of fusion. Titles include "Foxy Trot", "Ma Bel", "Three For D'Reen/Blue For Lou/Mark Time", and "WW". CD

A killer ECM debut from Kenny Wheeler – a real standout in the label's classic 70s run, and a record that's overflowing with soul and feeling! Wheeler had already made a number of key recordings by the time of this ECM set, but the label's approach seems to unlock something new in his playing – a deeper sensitivity, yet never in the slower, too-open way of other ECM players – almost an Art Farmer sort of approach to the flugelhorn, which he uses exclusively on this set. The tracks are all quite long, but very focused and flowing – with key rhythmic support from the trio of Keith Jarrett on piano, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – all of whom are happy to put their own agendas aside, and let Wheeler's magnificent lines direct the album's sound. Titles include "Heyoke", "Smatter", and "Gnu Suite". LP, Vinyl record album

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A record full of rich tones and cascadingly lyrical lines – and a set that features the wonderful pairing of John Abercrombie's guitar and the piano of Richie Beirach! Beirach seems to ground Abercrombie even more than usual – still letting John have those atmospheric qualities in his notes, but with a sense of flow and focus that we really appreciate – energy that might also come from the work of George Mraz on bass, and Peter Donald on drums. Tunes are simple and elegant, but say a hell of a lot with a little – and the album's maybe as perfect a summation of the ECM approach to guitar at its best as some of the early Pat Metheny albums. Titles include "Arcade", "Nightlake", "Neptune", "Alchemy", and "Paramour". CD

A nicely varied live set from this trio of key ECM players of the 80s – captured here with the same sense of sound as some of their studio recordings – which must have been something amazing to hear in person! Abercrombie's still very chromatic at this point in his career – playing fluid, colorful lines on guitar – but also using occasional guitar synthesizer passages too – more waves of sound than individual lines, which sounds especially nice next to more driving drums from Peter Erskine! Marc Johnson's ear for space is perfectly tuned for the proceedings – working at a level that's far beyond standard bassmanship – and titles include "Light Beam", "Drum Solo", "Four On One", "Samurai Hee Haw", "Furs On Ice", "Stella By Starlight", and "Innerplay". CD

A huge chapter of work from the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – one that not only includes their own albums for the ECM label, but also related solo and side projects too! The set begins with four Art Ensemble albums – Nice Guys, Full Force, Urban Bushman, and The Third Decade – all of which came out as a statement of the group's strengths in the late 70s and early 80s – their first mainstream appearance after a few years of being very underground, and material that helped set a whole new standard for avant jazz expression in the generation to come! Next is the fantastic album Divine Love, by trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith – not necessarily an Art Ensemble album, but one that does feature great work from trumpeter Leo Smith – plus trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, bassist Charlie Haden, and vibist Bobby Naughton. Next are four albums by Lester Bowie – two smaller group, and two with his Brass Fantasy ensemble – the records The Great Pretender, All The Magic/The One & Only, I Only Have Eyes For You, and Avant Pop. Then, after Bowie's early passing, the Art Ensemble recorded their beautiful Tribute To Lester – as a trio lineup with Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors, and Don Moye. Mitchell takes the helm next – on a surprisingly big flurry of projects for ECM – records that often show a deeper compositional strand in his music – on records that include Nine To Get Ready, Composition/Improvisation, Far Side, Bells For The South Side, and Boustrophedon – the last of which was led by Evan Parker, with Mitchell in the Transatlantic Art Ensemble. Last up are three records by drummer Jack DeJohnette for ECM – New Directions and New Directions In Europe, both featuring a group with Lester Bowie on trumpet – and Made In Chicago, which features Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, and Muhal Ricard Abrams. Recordings were made between 1978 and 2015 – and comes in a box set with a big booklet of notes! CD

Beautiful solo piano work from Paul Bley – spare, stark, and almost lovely – and a real contrast to some of his more aggressive experiments of the late 60s. The Bley here has almost a hint of sadness and longing, especially on the numbers that have him revisiting tunes he'd done on earlier records with an approach that was a bit stronger. It's hard to define the gentle charm that he brings here to "Ida Lupino", "Closer", "Harlem", "Seven", "Open To Love", and "Nothing Ever Was Anyway" – but one listen to the record, and its gorgeous recording of Bley's piano, should be enough! LP, Vinyl record album

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A moody little record that's cut in the best style of the ECM legacy – and one that definitely recalls the special place that label has for both trumpet and guitar! In this case the guitar is handled by leader Jakob Bro, and the trumpet by Palle Mikkelborg – the latter a longtime associate of the label, and graced with this spacious, open sound that hangs perfectly in the air of the production – balanced with the spider webs of sound coming from Bro's electric guitar, and given just a bit of gentle help from the bass of Thomas Morgan and drums of Jon Christensen. Titles include "Hamsun", "Lyskaster", "Song For Nicolai", "Oktober", and "Strands". 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

A really beautiful record – filled with sublime short solo pieces from Chick Corea – small songs filled with warmth and joy! LP, Vinyl record album

A record of darkly brooding sounds from drummer Jack DeJohnette – a trio date, but one that's way more than any trio session you might expect – and definitely part of the great legacy of creative sounds that Jack has given us over the years! The lineup features Matthew Garrison on bass and electronics, and Ravi Coltrane on tenor, soprano, and sopranino sax – working together in textures of sounds that really benefit from DeJohnette's open conception of rhythm, as the group creates lots of textures and tones. Coltrane's sound grounds the whole thing with some soulful currents – and titles include a take on John Coltrane's "Alabama", which nicely sets up the excellent originals "In Movement" and "Two Jimmys" – the former a great showcase for Ravi's solos and the latter doing the same trick for Garrison's sly, almost sinister bass groove. Other titles include a shadowy take on Earth Wind & Fire's "Serpentine Fire", plus "Blue In Green", "Lydia", "Rashied", and "Soulful Ballad". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album