MORTON FELDMAN : The Viola in My Life (Marek Konstantynowicz · Cikada Ensemble · Norwegian Radio Orchestra · Christian Eggen) (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

After a long period of working with indeterminacy and graphic notation, Morton Feldman fixed every parameter of “The Viola in My Life” (written in 1970/71) – notes, timing, duration, dynamics – and still the feeling conveyed is of an exquisite tenuousness, as if the viola is a visitor to the composer’s musical universe, where sounds seem to be discovered in the quiet moment of their playing: “My intention was to think of melody and motivic fragments – somewhat in the way Robert Rauschenberg uses photographs in his painting – and superimpose this on a static sound world more characteristic of my music.”
‘Painting with sounds’ is central to Feldman’s music; he was a composer at least as close to the abstract painters as to musical contemporaries. ecm
MORTON FELDMAN (1926-1987)
1.    The Viola In My Life I    9:11
2.    The Viola In My Life II    10:18
3.    The Viola In My Life III    5:07
4.    The Viola In My Life IV    14:31
Credits :
Marek Konstantynowicz - Viola
Cikada Ensemble
Kersti Walldén - Flute
Terje Lerstad - Clarinet
Bjørn Rabben - Percussion
Kenneth Karlsson - Piano, Celesta
Odd Hannisdal - Violin
Morten Hannisdal -Violoncello
Norwegian Radio - Orchestra
Christian Eggen - Conductor

TOMASZ STAŃKO QUINTET – Dark Eyes (2009) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Dark places can be foreboding, and also comforting or beautiful if put into proper context. Trumpeter Tomasz Stanko has always used introspection as a means for making his music, but on this recording he's all but snuffed out the candlelight, inspired by the wispy smoke that trails to the ceiling. During the 2000s he retained a regular working band of very young musicians, and for Dark Eyes he's formed a new band of promising up-and-coming players from Northern Europe, with instrumentation modified from the piano/bass/drums backup trio. The very subtle Danish guitarist Jakob Bro (from Paul Motian's band), multiple competition prize-winner Finnish pianist Alexi Tuomarila, Danish electric bass guitarist Anders Christensen (ex-Ravonettes and Motian), and drummer Olavi Louhivuori (also an accomplished pianist, violinist, and cellist) from Finland are all new names to the ECM family, playing with extraordinary reserve and even a bit of reticence. That subtle sense of territorial division between the band and Stanko marks a new, still toned-down chapter for the Polish trumpeter, beyond his previous suspended night-shaded productions. "So Nice" is certainly all that, a pristine, slow, piano-lined piece with a solemn viewpoint. Inspired by the expressionist artist Oskar Kokoschka, "The Dark Eyes of Martha Hirsch" evokes strong amounts of sunken sadness in a unison piano/guitar/trumpet line, while "Last Song" exudes a finality within the same type of democratic instrumental structure. Departing from feelings of gloom, the ambience remains, replaced with more joy during the pretty three-minute piece "May Sun" sans Stanko with Tuomarila's repeat piano lines tumbling down the stairs, while "Terminal 7" and "Grand Central," with a pedal point base, both ruminate with the flowing and always active, upbeat but never anxious metropolitan feel Stanko experiences in his second home, New York City. Two compositions by Krzysztof Komeda are included: the pitch-black "Dirge for Europe," similar to a Miles Davis construct with Bro's guitar as a mirrored observer in the background, and "Etuida Baletowa #3," the most pleasant piece of the date, nicely drawn in an authentic jazz ballad form. As Stanko's music is very consistent, it also is for listeners who are used to his style at the outset. With the late-night aspect emphasized and the ECM precept fully realized, Dark Eyes represents yet another triumph for this extraordinary artist, who always pulls back and digs deep into the wellspring of emotion with every passing moment. Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist :
1.    So Nice    5:52
2.    Terminal 7    5:30
3.    The Dark Eyes Of Martha Hirsch    10:03
4.    Grand Central    6:25
5.    Amsterdam Avenue    6:11
6.    Samba Nova    9:23
7.    Dirge For Europe    5:29
8.    May Sun    2:47
9.    Last Song    3:58
10.    Etiuda Baletowa No.3    5:49
Credits :
Composed By – Krzysztof Komeda (tracks: 7, 10), Tomasz Stańko (tracks: 1 to 6, 8, 9)
Design [Graphic] – Sascha Kleis
Drums – Olavi Louhivuori
Electric Bass – Anders Christensen
Guitar – Jakob Bro
Piano – Alexi Tuomarila
Producer – Manfred Eicher
Trumpet – Tomasz Stańko

JOE LOVANO — Homage (2025) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano and Polish pianist Marcin Wasilewski reunite for their second collaboration, 2025's harmonically unfettered, free-leaning Homage. The album, which follows their 2022 duet Arctic Riff, builds nicely upon their intuitive sense of group interplay, moving between deftly composed works and wholly improvised ones. Joining them once again is Wasilewski's trio featuring bassist Sławomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michał Miśkiewicz. This is the same group that earned acclaim for their work with the late trumpeter Tomasz Stanko and who bring an equally empathetic approach to playing with Lovano. Cuts like the opening "Love in the Garden" and "Golden Horn" have a tender, sun-dappled quality that conjures a striking blend of John Coltrane and Duke Ellington's later career small group work. Equally evocative is "This Side - Catville" which evokes the swinging, off-kilter free bop of the Ornette Coleman quartet. Yet more esoteric are Lovano's two solo performances: the moody saxophone piece "Giving Thanks" and his textured percussion work on "Projection." While those solo tracks certainly pull the listener deeper into Lovano's dreamy, stream-of-consciousness lyricism, the album is most compelling when the players combine their voices. This is underscored on the title track, a free improvisation that finds Lovano spiraling melodic ideas off Wasilewski as the trio responds in kind. With Homage, Lovano and Wasilewski remain adventurous, kindred spirits. Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1.    Love In The Garden 4:11
Composed By – Zbigniew Seifert
2.    Golden Horn 10:20
Composed By – Joe Lovano
3.    Homage 8:00
Composed By – Joe Lovano
4.    Giving Thanks 2:25
Composed By – Joe Lovano
5.    This Side - Catville 12:00
Composed By – Joe Lovano
6.    Projection 2:03
Composed By – Joe Lovano
Credits :
Double Bass – Slawomir Kurkiewicz
Drums – Michal Miskiewicz
Piano – Marcin Wasilewski
Producer [Album Produced By] – Manfred Eicher
Tenor Saxophone, Tárogató [Tarogato], Gong [Gongs] – Joe Lovano

PAUL MOTIAN TRIO — It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago (1984) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

This trio, the root of the Paul Motian Quintet that also included the late Jim Pepper and bass player Ed Schuller, is among the most "songish" that ECM ever recorded. All three men are masters of understatement and heartbreakingly beautiful melodic invention, and also possess a collective well of deep lyricism in their improvisations. They had another thing in common, all having been sidemen for many years before becoming bandleaders in their own right. In fact, Lovano was only then, in 1984, beginning to consider himself a bandleader. There isn't a display of ego anywhere on this recording or the quintet's wonderful The Story of Maryam (Soul Note 1074). Motian is credited with all the compositions here, but it's obvious they come from the collective. While the title track that opens the record is full of the lilting melodic invention Frisell is well known for, it is actually the short sonorous lines that Lovano feeds to Motian that illumine the cut and give it its sense of open space and interval. "Fiasco" is a study in three part counterpoint: From Frisell to Motian to Lovano, the fury of the improvisation is tempered only by dynamic restraint and the intention on the part of the trio to hear the harmonics they are creating as microtones. Elsewhere, such as on "India" and the closer "Two Women of Padua," the tonal registers of the guitars and saxophone become the voices in "songs" offered up in different emotional and musical circumstances, but in the manner of singing nonetheless. Intervallic invention here becomes its own m.o. and, given the depth of melodic interplay, a fluid musicality is ensured. This is one of the finest recordings that came from ECM in the '80s. Paul Bley led another, which featured Motian and Frisell -- as well as John Surman. This set is made of the kind of music that made Manfred Eicher's ECM such a force to be reckoned with. It placed three musicians in a context that was comfortable enough to make them want to sing to one another.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
Tracklist :
1.    It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago 6:06
Paul Motian 
2.    Fiasco 7:49
Paul Motian 
3.    Conception Vessel 4:31
Paul Motian 
4.    Introduction 3:05
Paul Motian 
5.    India  7:26
Paul Motian 
6.    In the Year of the Dragon 5:57
Paul Motian 
7.    Two Women from Padua  5:13
Paul Motian 
Credits : 
Drums, Percussion, Composed By, Photography By – Paul Motian
Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer – Bill Frisell
Tenor Saxophone – Joe Lovano 

MARC JOHNSON — Shades of Jade (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is a very mellow and very pretty album with Marc Johnson's wife, Eliane Elias, leading the proceedings with her elegiac piano. Featuring the restrained backing of both Joe Lovano and John Scofield. Atmospheric and mysterious. An excellent late night album. Robert Middleton 
Tracklist :
1.    Ton Sur Ton 5:55
Composed By – Eliane Elias, Marc Johnson 
2.    Apareceu 6:04
Composed By – Eliane Elias
3.    Shades Of Jade 7:40
Composed By – Eliane Elias, Marc Johnson 
4.    In 30 Hours 6:10
Composed By – Eliane Elias
5:    Blue Nefertiti 7:14
Composed By – Marc Johnson 
6.    Snow 8:24
Composed By – Eliane Elias
7.    Since You Asked 3:18
Composed By – Marc Johnson 
8.    Raise 6:35
Composed By – Marc Johnson 
9.    All Yours 4:11
Composed By – Eliane Elias
10.    Don't Ask Of Me (Intz Mi Khntrit) 5:13
Composed By [Armenian Song By] – Anton Mailyan
Credits :
Design [Cover Design] – Sascha Kleis
Double Bass – Marc Johnson 
Drums – Joey Baron
Guitar – John Scofield
Music By – Eliane Elias, Marc Johnson 
Organ – Alain Mallet
Piano – Eliane Elias
Producer – Eliane Elias, Manfred Eicher
Tenor Saxophone – Joe Lovano

JOHN SURMAN — Saltash Bells (2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

I first discovered the beauty of Surman's Jazz when I bought a copy of A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe. Essentially, his performance on that LP was nothing short of brilliant. On his Saltash Bells LP he again applies his multi-instrumental, composing and performance skill with true aplomb. Borrowing a quote from Wikipedia, "This "extraordinary solo recording" Surman's "beautiful blend of reeds and electronics summons the mists, moors and mysteries with hauntingly evocative style"" Surman's musical interpretation of the Saltash Passage on the River Tavy conjures the many moods, shifts and subtle drama this area of England possesses. For me, the buy in comes easily. I simply close my eyes and allow the music to envelope me... Loving the deftly crafted songs to tell me their individual story as I, then, imagine the place, the time, the totality of the composition. My suggestion: Surman's style of Modal Jazz is pretty awesome. The atmospheric nature of his recordings makes for an often soothing listen. Consider exploring his entire catalog. For me, this one's a keeper. You may well agree. Cheers. Gary Figueroa 
Tracklist :
1.    Whistman's Wood    6:32
2.    Glass Flower    3:13
3.    On Staddon Heights    7:32
4.    Triadichorum    3:36
5.    Winter Elegy    8:19
6.    Ælfwin    2:17
7.    Saltash Bells    10:40
8.    Dark Reflections    3:27
9.    The Crooked Inn    2:41
10.    Sailing Westwards    10:37
Credits :
Design – Sascha Kleis
Producer [Produced By] – John Surman, Manfred Eicher
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Alto Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet, Harmonica, Synthesizer, Composed By [All Compositions – John Surman

MARC JOHNSON · ELIANE ELIAS — Swept Away (2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

No one familiar with the past work of bassist Marc Johnson and pianist Eliane Elias will be surprised to find that this album finds them working in an exploratory mode; Johnson has long been one of the most interesting bassists on the modern jazz scene, and Elias' résumé is all over the place. But the sweetness, the quiet, and the sometimes deeply haunting melancholy of Swept Away may catch listeners unawares. Elias and Johnson are joined here by the two musicians who are more perfectly suited to this type of project than any others on the scene today: saxophonist Joe Lovano (currently the go-to player for virtually every serious jazz session in New York) and the preternaturally sensitive drummer Joey Baron, a man who has made more session leaders sound wonderful over the past 20 years than any other. Baron and Johnson face a serious challenge on this program: the tempos are generally slow, the sense of swing sometimes nearly subliminal, and that puts bassists and drummers in an awkward position. But on tracks like "It's Time" and the lovely "B Is for Butterfly," they keep the thread steady and reliable without dictating a beat or drawing undue attention; when the time comes to lay down a solid groove (as on the wonderful "B Is for Butterfly"), they do so elegantly and seemingly without effort. Swept Away is the best example of what has come to be called "ECM jazz" -- quiet, spacious, and friendly, but complex as well and easily able to stand up to close listening. Rick Anderson
Tracklist :
1.    Swept Away    6:18
 Eliane Elias 
2.    It's Time    5:49
 Eliane Elias 
3.    One Thousand And One Nights    8:18
 Eliane Elias 
4.    When The Sun Comes Up    6:36
 Marc Johnson 
5.    B Is For Butterfly    8:05
 Eliane Elias 
6.    Midnight Blue    6:00
 Marc Johnson 
7.    Moments    5:50
 Eliane Elias 
8.    Sirens Of Titan    5:55
 Eliane Elias / Marc Johnson 
9.    Foujita    6:36
 Marc Johnson 
10.    Inside Her Old Music Box    5:27
 Eliane Elias / Marc Johnson 
11.    Shenandoah    4:35
 -Traditional
Credits :
Double Bass – Marc Johnson 
Drums – Joey Baron
Piano – Eliane Elias
Tenor Saxophone – Joe Lovano

NORMA WINSTONE · KIT DOWNES — Outpost Of Dreams (2024) FLAC 24-96Hz

Outpost of Dreams is the debut collaboration from vocalist/lyricist Norma Winstone and pianist/composer Kit Downes. Both are veteran ECM recordings artists. Winstone hasn't issued a title with the label since 2018's award-winning Descansado: Songs for Films, while Downes, active more recently, released Short Diary with Seb Roachford in 2023. This duo began playing shows together late in 2023 and continued into 2024. Winstone, a seven-decade veteran, has been the talk of Europe since Drake sampled Azimuth's (Winstone with Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor) "The Tunnel" for "IDGAF." Among this set's ten tunes are four originals by Downes and Winstone; her lyric contributions extend here to songs by Taylor, Carla Bley, Ralph Towner, and fiddler/composer Aidan O'Rourke. There are also two folk standards, "Black Is the Color" and "Rowing Home."

At this stage of her seven-decade career, Winstone is winning accolades for her writing as much as her supple singing -- her alto instrument is undiminished by time. In opener "El," Downes weaves impressionistic, mysterious chords in the upper-middle register as Winstone wanders with purpose inside and outside his cadences: "Stardust in the night will watch her grow/Soon become aware (constellations stare)/Everything that lives and breathes and loves filling the air…" "Fly the Wind," by Taylor and Winstone, is sprightly; it sounds like a show tune in the singer's phrasing, but Downes' pianism is rooted in modern jazz. Winstone's lyrics for Bley's "Jesus Maria" embrace its mutated two-chord theme and reflect an unknowable Christ figure as he inhabits and transcends time. Her words for Towner's iconic "Beneath an Evening Sky" chart the depth and strangeness of a woman's perpetual presence in the protagonist's wandering, solitary mind. Single "The Steppe" weds classical, jazz, and classic pop as a song of love and longing, offering: "Winds sweep across the plain/Where will I find you again/The path of a shooting star/The heart dare not follow/I'm lost in the vastness of you…I'm almost submerging/In this lonely outpost of dreams." Downes flows, circles, and swings around and through her delivery. There are few substandard versions of "Black Is the Color." This one, with Downes' ghostly, wandering pianism, first excavates, then all but conceals the melody as Winstone delivers this as a tool of discovery: in certain phrases, she pays tribute to Nina Simone's stellar recording. Downes is masterful; he never intrudes on Winstone's expression yet establishes the piano as a separate lyric voice. The closing traditional sea shanty "Rowing Home" is almost unrecognizable. Downes creates darkly tinged post-bop harmonics under the melody as Winstone improvises inside the words and phrases while changing the tune's shape with her vocalizing. Usually sung by fishermen returning home, this version comes from a bereft protagonist, and it is as poignant as it is resonant. Outpost of Dreams is a quiet, gentle, even tenderly poetic masterpiece that represents music-making as an organic yet adventurous hub of meaning. 
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
Tracklist :
1.    El 5:05
Music By – Kit Downes
Words By – Norma Winstone
2.    Fly The Wind 3:11
Music By – John Taylor
Words By – Norma Winstone
3.    Jesus Maria 4:29
Music By – Carla Bley
Words By – Norma Winstone
4.    Beneath An Evening Sky 3:25
Music By – Ralph Towner
Words By – Norma Winstone
5.    Out Of The Dancing Sea 3:34
Music By – Aidan O'Rourke
Words By – Norma Winstone
6.    The Steppe 5:06
Music By – Kit Downes
Words By – Norma Winstone
7.    Nocturne 5:08
Music By – Kit Downes
Words By – Norma Winstone
8.    Black Is The Colour 4:34
 – Traditional
9.    In Search Of Sleep 3:06
Music By – Kit Downes
Words By – Norma Winstone
10.    Rowing Home 3:57
– Traditional
Arranged By [Arr.] – Bob Cornford
Words By – Norma Winstone
Credits :
Piano – Kit Downes
Producer [Produced By] – Manfred Eicher
Voice – Norma Winstone

JAN GARBAREK — All Those Born With Wings (1987) Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

On the hip with most of Garbarek's recordings, this one is airy and spacy -- belting out screaming sax lines over a drony sea of nothing. The word to describe this record is passionate. This is not background music like many of his other recordings tend toward. Fans of his playing on Paul Giger's Alpstein will appreciate this one. The five pieces here -- serially titled -- tend to blend together, giving the impression of one long song. Mark Allender
Tracklist :
1    1st Piece    6:09
2    2nd Piece    4:51
3    3rd Piece    7:38
4    4th Piece    6:34
5    5th Piece    12:54
6    6th Piece    5:09
Credits:
Saxophones, Flute, Emulator, Percussion, Music By – Jan Garbarek

PEROTIN — The Hilliard Ensemble (1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Tracklist :
 1. Viderunt Omnes 11:36
(Perotin, Traditional)
2. Veni Creator Spiritus 7:29
 (Anonymus, Traditional)
3. Alleluia Posui Adiutorium 7:34
 (Perotin, Traditional)
4. O Maria Virginei 4:49
 (Anonymus, Traditional)
5. Dum Sigillum 7:37
 (Perotin, Traditional)
6. Isaias Cecinit 1:43
 (Anonymus, Traditional)
7. Alleluia Nativitas 8:31
 (Perotin, Traditional)
8. Beata Viscera 6:12
 (Perotin, Traditional)
9. Sederunt Principes 11:54
(Perotin, Traditional)
The Hilliard Ensemble :
David James - Countertenor
John Potter - Tenor
Rogers Covey-Crump - Tenor
Mark Padmore - Tenor
Charles Daniels - Tenor
Gordon Jones - Baritone
Paul Hillier - Baritone, Director

JOHN ABERCROMBIE — The First Quartet (2015) RM | 3CD-SET | Old & New Masters Edition Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As part of ECM's Old & New Masters series of box sets, John Abercrombie's The First Quartet collects three albums recorded for the label between 1978 and 1980. Two titles, 1979's Abercrombie Quartet and 1981's M, have been unavailable for decades. By the guitarist's own admission, this band represents the guitarist's first time as a "proper" bandleader. His earlier dates on ECM had been co-led sessions (Timeless, Gateway, Sargasso Sea), a solo album (Characters), and sideman gigs (Jack DeJohnette's New Directions, David Liebman's Lookout Farm, etc.). These three dates also represent an important foundation for Abercrombie as a composer. Arcade's title track is an energetic post-bop number that borders on jazz-rock, with keen interactions between the front-line players and the rhythm section. Another aspect of the band's conversational ability can be heard on Richie Beirach's gentle "Nightlake." Their lyrical interplay on the ballad "Paramour" is almost luxurious. The long journey on the pianist's "Alchemy" spends its first half as a ballad, but eventually moves into higher gear with almost euphoric group improvisation. Abercrombie Quartet's most inspiring moments include the syncopated cooking on "Blue Wolf," the moody yet focused "Dear Rain," and the more rockist groove that drives "Riddles." It gets more ponderous on "Stray" (where the piano solo jumps from the tune's nearly washed-out body as a genuine surprise) and on the closing "Foolish Dog" -- despite a fine mandolin-guitar break and woody, fluent solo from George Mraz. "Boat Song," the opening track on M, showcases a deeper collective confidence all around. The tune emerges rather than begins. The foundation is a repetitive six-note pattern by Beirach. Abercrombie catches and builds on it, seemingly one extra note at a time, until he's sliding through one series of fluid harmonic inventions to the next during his solo. The shimmering cymbal and snare work by Peter Donald adds a swinging waltz feel to the bottom. "What Are the Rules" is a canny open improvisation that works exceptionally well. "Flashback" haltingly follows suit before transforming itself into a funky groover. Closer "Pebbles," written by the bassist, seems to circle back to "Boat Song," but it's more elliptical until his bassline grounds the more atmospheric interplay of the front line and Donald becomes the bridge to communication. While none of these recordings is perfect, they are all necessary parts of Abercrombie's catalog. What's more, they remain thoroughly engaging after all these decades. The simple fact that the quartet form remains one of this guitarist's favorite ways of working well into the 21st century can be attributed to the creative fire and enduring merit of what is found here. 
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
Arcade (1979)
1. Arcade 9:43 
Composed By – John Abercrombie
2. Nightlake 5:35 
Composed By – Richie Beirach
3. Paramour 5:09 
Composed By – John Abercrombie
4. Neptune 7:34 
Composed By – Richie Beirach
5. Alchemy 11:33 
Composed By – Richie Beirach 
Abercrombie Quartet (1980)
1. Blue Wolf 8:33 
Composed By – John Abercrombie
2. Dear Rain 6:54 
Composed By – John Abercrombie
3. Stray 6:36 
Composed By – Richie Beirach
4. Madagascar 9:05 
Composed By – Richie Beirach
5. Riddles 8:12 
Composed By – Richie Beirach
6. Foolish Dog 6:18 
Composed By – John Abercrombie 
M (1981)
1. Boat Song 9:57 
Composed By – John Abercrombie
2. M 6:19 
Composed By – John Abercrombie
3. What Are the Rules 7:33 
Composed By – Richie Beirach
4. Flashback 6:17 
Composed By – Richie Beirach
5. To Be 5:17 
Composed By – John Abercrombie
6. Veils 5:44 
Composed By – Richie Beirach
7. Pebbles 4:45
Composed By – George Mraz
Credits :
Double Bass – George Mraz
Drums – Peter Donald
Guitar, Mandoguitar [Mandolin Guitar] – John Abercrombie
Piano – Richie Beirach

GARY PEACOCK · RALPH TOWNER — Oracle (1993) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

This set of duets by bassist Gary Peacock and guitarist Ralph Towner, as one might expect from an ECM album, makes expert use of space and has its quiet moments. But there is a surprising amount of ferocious interplay between the two musicians. They may play at a consistently low volume, but the set of originals has a few rather passionate grooves and a little more energy than one would have predicted. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1. Gaya 5:45
 Gary Peacock 
2. Flutter Step 5:45
 Gary Peacock 
3. Empty Carrousel 5:48
 Gary Peacock 
4. Hat And Cane 5:12
 Ralph Towner 
5. Inside Inside 5:55
 Gary Peacock 
6. St. Helens 1:52
 Gary Peacock 
7. Oracle 7:20
 Gary Peacock / Ralph Towner 
8. Burly Hello 5:53
 Gary Peacock 
9. Tramonto 6:21
  Ralph Towner 
Credits :
Gary Peacock - Double Bass
Ralph Towner - Classical and 12-String Guitars

ANOUAR BRAHEM – بعد السماء الأخيرة = After The Last Sky (2025) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Oudist and composer Anouar Brahem has kept a low profile since 2017's Blue Maqams. He appeared with Anja Lechner and Francois Couturier on Lontano, but has otherwise been absent. Brahem enlists longtime collaborator/bassist Dave Holland and pianist Django Bates -- both appeared on Blue Maqams. Lechner appears in place of the last album's drummer, Jack DeJohnette, and is the first cellist to appear on one of Brahem's LPs. Recorded in Switzerland, it was produced by Manfred Eicher. The album's name echoes the title of a 1986 book by cultural critic, activist, and author Edward Said, and was derived from a line by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish: "Where should the birds fly, after the last sky?" Begun before October 6, 2023, it is nonetheless deeply inspired by the horror and suffering experienced by Palestinians in Gaza. Brahem wrote new compositions and reworked some of the earlier ones to communicate and evoke raw emotion about this situation. Lechner's poignant cello is primary, up front. She and Brahem move through Eastern modes and motifs, blurring the lines between folk, classical, and jazz.

Opener "Remembering Hind" is a case in point. Under two minutes, the cello and piano deliver Brahem's minor-key melody with nearly processional grace and, despite the relative quiet, rippling emotion. The title track, at nearly six minutes, commences with an oud solo that foreshadows the melody. When Bates enters, he accedes to the restraint, at least until the cellist joins in, and it becomes a melancholy fantasia. The interplay between Holland and Brahem is almost symbiotic. "The Eternal Olive Tree," an oud/bass duet, showcases warmly dissonant harmonies in a celebration of survival and resilience. The duo embrace the blues directly in highlighting Gaza's struggle alongside modal and jazz motivics in their improvisation. "Awake," the set's hinge track, melds classical crossover, Tunisian folk styles, and restrained improv. The bass pattern that introduces "Dancing Under the Meteorites" is a constant pulse that evolves into a tango vamp. Lechner and Bates play around it, touching on the style in their joint conversation until Brahem's contrapuntal solo cements the tune as gorgeous tango-jazz fusion. He offers another lengthy improvisation on the bittersweet, musically riveting "The Sweet Oranges Of Jaffa"; Lechner joins him and delivers her own. Her long experience of improvised music guides her interaction with Brahem and underscores the harmonic invention in her solo. It and the labyrinthine, poignant, inventive "Never Forget" are offered here as hymns of remembrance, adding depth and dimension. It's followed by the tender piano and cello duet "Edward Said's Reverie." The set closes with his beloved "Vague," marking the third time he's recorded it.

The release also includes a long liner essay (for ECM) by U.S. editor of The London Review of Books Adam Schatz, who is also a noted journalist and critic. He offers key reflections on Brahem's music, the Palestinians' fight to exist, and the culture around both. After the Last Sky is a reflective, yet powerfully emotional and virtuosic listening experience. 
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
Tracklist :
1.    Remembering Hind 1:52
Composed By [Composition By] – Anouar Brahem
2.    After The Last Sky 5:42
Composed By [Composition By] – Anouar Brahem
3.    Endless Wandering 8:11
Composed By [Composition By] – Anouar Brahem
4.    The Eternal Olive Tree 4:00
Composed By [Composition By] – Anouar Brahem, Dave Holland
5.    Awake 8:49
Composed By [Composition By] – Anouar Brahem
6.    In The Shades Of Your Eyes 4:27
Composed By [Composition By] – Anouar Brahem
7.    Dancing Under The Meteorites 4:25
Composed By [Composition By] – Anouar Brahem
8.    The Sweet Oranges Of Jaffa 7:13
Composed By [Composition By] – Anouar Brahem
9.    Never Forget 7:49
Composed By [Composition By] – Anouar Brahem
10.    Edward Said's Reverie 2:58
Composed By [Composition By] – Anouar Brahem
11.    Vague 3:13
Composed By [Composition By] – Anouar Brahem
Credits :
Double Bass – Dave Holland
Oud – Anouar Brahem
Piano – Django Bates
Producer [Produced By] – Manfred Eicher
Violoncello – Anja Lechner

HÄNDEL : Suites for Keyboard (Keith Jarrett) (1995) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Having paid tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach in a sequence of New Series recordings of the Well-tempered Clavier, the Goldberg Variations and the French Suites, Keith Jarrett now turns his attention to Bach’s near contemporary, Georg Friedrich Händel. The project, in fact, has been in preparation for a long time; Jarrett’s liner note informs us that he first began to record Händel’s keyboard suites some 20 years ago. The present recording is of particular interest for a number of reasons and not least because it is the first of his albums of baroque music to feature the piano – as opposed to harpsichord – since Book One of the Well-tempered Clavier was issued in 1988. Where, in his Bach recordings, Keith Jarrett has striven to obliterate his musical personality ("This music does not need my assistance"), he feels Händel’s "basically unknown" solo keyboard music needs a measure of special pleading. And, though he has gone to "the least tampered with editions" of the suites in the interests of "correctness both musicological and musical", in making the case for their reassessment he permits himself some interpretive leeway in matters of tempi and phrasing. The result is an extremely attractive reading of seven of the Suites for Keyboard that can perhaps be more readily related – particularly in the adagio movements, where Jarrett takes full advantage of the lyrical warmth and textural richness of the material – to aspects of the pianist’s improvised recordings than can his Bach interpretations. (Or, to put it another way, these pieces, in the right hands, retain the freshness of improvisation). "Händel was a keyboardist, " Jarrett notes, "and his keyboard works should occupy a higher position in our awareness than they do." Keith Jarrett’s playing on this recording invites comparison with his interpretation of Dmitri Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues Op. 87 (a work that creates a bridge, via Bachian inspirational sources, from the baroque to the "modern"). Jarrett’s Shostakovich prompted John Rockwell to declare, in the pages of the New York Times: "With this recording, Mr. Jarrett has finally staked an indisputable claim to distinction in the realm of classical music. Even in our multicultural, multistylistic age, it is extremely difficult to cross over from one field to another. Mr. Jarrett, having long since established himself in jazz, can now be called a classical pianist of the first rank." ECM
Georg Friedrich Handel  (1685-1759)
1-4.    Suite HWV 452 (G Minor)
5-8.    Suite HWV 447 (D Minor)
9-12.    Suites II / No.7 HWV 440 (B-flat Major)
13-16. Suites I / No.8 HWV 433 (F Minor)
17-20. Suites I / No.2 HWV 427 (F Major)
21-25. Suites I / No.4 HWV 429 (E Minor)
26-29. Suites I / No.1 HWV 426 (A Major)
Piano – Keith Jarrett

KEITH JARRETT — A Multitude Of Angels (1996-2016) 4CD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Keith Jarrett's numerous volumes of improvised solo piano recordings are all treasure troves of spontaneous music making. Documented since the 1970s, they reveal the opening of his music as it readily embraces classical and sacred music influences, filters out what is unnecessary in his technique, and encounters the depth and breadth of the jazz tradition and his own unique abilities as a composer. The four discs in A Multitude of Angels were recorded in as many Italian cities during the last week of October 1996 -- some 20 months after the concert captured on La Scala. These were his last concerts before being sidelined for two years from chronic fatigue syndrome. Jarrett is musician, producer, and engineer here. The performances were captured to his Sonosax DAT recorder seemingly without the view of release at the time. They were sent direct from the piano to transformer-less microphones to the machine, with no mixing board in between. While it's not as raw as The Melody, At Night, With You, his set of intimate home recordings, there is a less airy, less pristine feel in the sound of these recordings.
Sound is only one aspect of what makes these recordings different. In the accompanying booklet, Jarrett describes these discs as the "pinnacle" of his career in the sense that these were uninterrupted performances (no set breaks) in smaller rooms with quiet audiences (a big bugaboo of his, all before the advent of the digital age). Though he was weakened by the burden of his as yet undiagnosed illness, he goes for it here. The gorgeous interpolations of folk, funky gospel, and jazz during the Modena concert's first ten minutes (disc one) are among the most joyous in his catalog. Jarrett describes these shows as if he were ordained by fate to be in the moment as if "playing for the last time." The unfettered feel in his improvisation is sometimes choppier and more rugged than elsewhere in his catalog -- though his playing remains astonishing both technically and creatively. Check the knotty classical improvisations in the second part of Modena where he encounters -- and extrapolates on -- ragtime and modal jazz in blocks, feints, stops, and starts that all flow through the well without obstacle. Processional balladic improv introduces the first half of the Torino show on disc three. It shifts and shimmers, emerging as a wedding of Bach and torch song before stripping itself to the bone. Its final section investigates a repetitive phrase with an extended view of harmony and rhythm. The final show in Genova (disc four) concludes with a fantastically funky blues encore before the pianist delivers a reading of Harold Arlen's "Over the Rainbow." Jarrett's never delivered it with such tenderness before -- at least on record -- as he illuminates the hidden magic in its lithe harmony. For fans of the pianist, A Multitude of Angels is an indispensable document. It's not only wildly creative, but deeply soulful, spiritual, and dazzling in both variety and facility.   
 -> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 

Modena October 23,1996
1-1 Part I 34:18
Music By – Keith Jarrett
1-2 Part II 31:19
Music By – Keith Jarrett
1-3 Danny Boy 5:00
Music By – Frederic Weatherly

Ferrara October 25, 1996
2-1 Part I 43:48
Music By – Keith Jarrett
2-2 Part II 29:58
Music By – Keith Jarrett
2-3 Encore 3:26
Music By – Keith Jarrett

Torino October 28, 1996
3-1 Part I 42:23
Music By – Keith Jarrett
3-2 Part II 31:35
Music By – Keith Jarrett

Genova October 30, 1996
4-1 Part I 31:41
Music By – Keith Jarrett
4-2 Part II 31:43
Music By – Keith Jarrett
4-3 Encore 5:52
Music By – Keith Jarrett
4-4 Over The Rainbow 6:03
Music By – E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
Credits :
 Piano – Keith Jarrett

 Modena October 23,1996
1-1 Part I 34:18
Music By – Keith Jarrett
1-2 Part II 31:19
Music By – Keith Jarrett
1-3 Danny Boy 5:00
Music By – Frederic Weatherly

Ferrara October 25, 1996
2-1 Part I 43:48
Music By – Keith Jarrett
2-2 Part II 29:58
Music By – Keith Jarrett
2-3 Encore 3:26
Music By – Keith Jarrett

Torino October 28, 1996
3-1 Part I 42:23
Music By – Keith Jarrett
3-2 Part II 31:35
Music By – Keith Jarrett

Genova October 30, 1996
4-1 Part I 31:41
Music By – Keith Jarrett
4-2 Part II 31:43
Music By – Keith Jarrett
4-3 Encore 5:52
Music By – Keith Jarrett
4-4 Over The Rainbow 6:03
Music By – E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
Credits :
 Piano – Keith Jarrett

THE GARY BURTON QUINTET with EBERHARD WEBER — Ring (1974) Three Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Burton plays the vibroharp with superb delicacy which tops off the spirals of harmonic sound. Each track shifts in mood seamlessly from the one before - with writing credits to Goodrick, Mike Gibbs and Carla Bley before an interpretation of Weber's Colours of Chloe rounds off the record.An all time favourite jazz record, for a quieter mood. A classic ECM release.

Tracklist :

1. Mevlevia 6:00
 Mick Goodrick
2. Unfinished Sympathy 3:04
 Michael Gibbs
3. Tunnel Of Love 5:33
 Michael Gibbs
4. Intrude 4:52
 Michael Gibbs
5. Silent Spring 10:35
 Carla Bley
6. The Colours Of Chloe 7:12
 Eberhard Weber 

Credits :

Gary Burton - Vibraharp

Mick Gooddrick (1 to 3, 5, 6) - Guitar

Pat Metheny - Guitar, Electric 12-String Guitar

Eberhard Weber (1 to 3, 5, 6), Steve Swallow - Bass

Bob Moses - Percussion

Produced by Manfred Eicher

SHOSTAKOVICH : 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 (Keith Jarrett) (1992) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Dmitri Shostakovich's epic series of preludes and fugues for solo piano was inspired by the very composer whom you would immediately suspect -- Johann Sebastian Bach. Indeed, the Russian composer was motivated to write this huge work after a visit to Bach's home city Leipzig in 1950; and, in fact, it resurrects the premise behind Bach's "The Well-Tempered Clavier," providing one prelude and fugue for every major and minor key. So having conquered the Bach work on recordings, Keith Jarrett decided to tackle its 20th century sequel in this two-CD set. Looking at it from one angle, this is Jarrett's most impressive technical achievement in the classical repertoire so far. Generally speaking, the Shostakovich is more difficult to play than the other classical works that he had recorded previously, and he is clearly up to all of its sometimes fearsome demands. From an interpretive angle, though, Jarrett doesn't get as much out of this music as, say, the late Russian pianist Tatiana Nikolaeva, who gave the first performances of the work. With Nikolaeva, each note is captured and spotlighted in ever-changing lights. Jarrett is on the hunt for detail, too -- the "No. 11," "15," and "17" fugues are particularly invigorating in that respect -- yet much of the time, he tends to color things in one way. Part of this impression may be due to the sound of his piano, which is treated with ECM's usual soft-focused cloud of reverb. For Jarrett fans who are following his classical adventures, this could be a most intriguing left turn, but those seeking the definitive recording of the pieces would find Nikolaeva more stimulating. Richard S. Ginell
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
CD1. Preludes And Fugues Op.87, 1-12
CD2. Preludes And Fugues Op.87, 12-24
Piano – Keith Jarrett

JAN GARBAREK with TERJE RYPDAL — Esoteric Circle (1969-1987) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Jan Garbarek had studied with the great American composer George Russell, and had previously appeared on Russell's venture into jazz-rock, Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved By Nature. Whereas his teacher's usage of rock rhythms in an avant jazz context often came off as rather clunky, for Garbarek and his guitarist, Terje Rypdal, formerly a member of the popular Norwegian band the Vanguards, such a melding was more second nature. The Esoteric Circle, the first album by their band of the same name (hey, this was still the '60s after all), is a highly successful and enjoyable effort, one that can stand comfortably with work being done at that time by Tony Williams or John McLaughlin. Garbarek's compositions range from deeply felt homages to Coltrane ("Traneflight" and "Nefertite") to rocking jams like "Rabalder," where Rypdal gets to showcase his considerable chops. In fact, some of these themes were used by Russell in his aforementioned work. Garbarek's own playing, here entirely on tenor, come largely out of Albert Ayler as well as Coltrane, and his general attack is much more raw and aggressive than the style for which he would eventually become more widely known through his recordings for ECM. Listeners who enjoy his first several albums for that label (from Afric Pepperbird to Witchi-Tai-To) will find much to savor here. Brian Olewnick   

Tracklist :
1 Traneflight 2:51
 Jan Garbarek
2 Rabalder 8:15
 Jan Garbarek
3 Esoteric Circle 5:22
 Jan Garbarek
4 Vips 5:40
 Jan Garbarek
5 SAS 644 8:49
 Jan Garbarek
6 Nefertite 2:05
 Jan Garbarek
7 Gee 1:10
 Jan Garbarek
8 Karin's Mode 7:30
 Jan Garbarek
9 Breeze Ending 3:39
 Jan Garbarek
Credits :
Bass – Arild Andersen
Drums – Jon Christensen
Guitar – Terje Rypdal
Producer – George Russell
Tenor Saxophone – Jan Garbarek 

DON CHERRY · DEWEY REDMAN · CHARLIE HADEN · ED BLACKWELL — Old And New Dreams : Playing (1981) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This Austrian concert CD features the four notable Ornette Coleman alumni (trumpeter Don Cherry, tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Ed Blackwell) stretching out on three of Ornette's tunes, plus a song apiece from Cherry, Redman and Haden. Although Cherry's chops were not quite in peak form anymore, Redman is consistently stirring. Recommended, as are Old and New Dreams' other three releases. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 Happy House 11:20
Written-By – Ornette Coleman
2 Mopti 7:40
Written-By – Don Cherry
3 New Dream 9:20
Written-By – Ornette Coleman
4 Rushour 7:04
Written-By – Dewey Redman
5 Broken Shadows 9:47
Written-By – Ornette Coleman
6 Playing 9:51
Written-By – Charlie Haden
Credits :
 Double Bass – Charlie Haden
Drums – Ed Blackwell
 Tenor Saxophone, Suona [Musette] – Dewey Redman
Trumpet, Piano – Don Cherry

ARVO PÄRT — Alina (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Arvo Pärt is a living national treasure to Estonia, and this album reveals such intimate access to his faith, sadness, and humility. Structured in five parts, Alina is a simple, chilling invocation of heartfelt desire comprised of only two movements that alternate with subtle variation. The opening lullaby of "Spiegel im Spiegel" is a gentle and melancholy embrace between Sergej Bezrodney on piano and Vladimir Spivakov on violin, where every note steps gracefully forward, as if ascending a fragile staircase. In contrast, the two movements of "Für Alina" leave a little room for structured improvisation, as the top note in each chord is left for the performer to, as Pärt puts it, "explore within themselves." Thus, Alexander Malter deserves special recognition for breathing such mournful sweetness into these passages through every fingertip; every delicate cluster of notes shines like a distant star through a wintery black night. Malter stays on for the middle section of "Spiegel im Spiegel" and, with violoncello from Dietmar Schwalke, adds a more somber deliberateness to the piece that pianist Bezrodney shies away from in his performances (tracks one and five), instead opting for restrained tenderness. The disc closes much in the same way it opens: as if a prayer of deepest longing were just whispered into the still air. Frequent ECM producer Manfred Eicher calls upon his usual strengths, by letting the instruments speak for themselves in the right acoustical settings -- less is certainly more, and the stark beauty of Alina comes partly from what we hear between the notes: such a rich and gorgeous silence. This is perhaps one of Pärt's finest releases on compact disc, though one of his quietest. These are the tears of ghosts. Glenn Swan   
Arvo Pärt (b.  1935)
1 Spiegel Im Spiegel 10:36
Piano – Sergej Bezrodny
Violin – Vladimir Spivakov
2 Für Alina 10:47
Piano – Alexander Malter
3 Spiegel Im Spiegel 9:12
Piano – Alexander Malter
Violoncello – Dietmar Schwalke
4 Für Alina 10:53
Piano – Alexander Malter
5 Spiegel Im Spiegel 9:48
Piano – Sergej Bezrodny
Violin – Vladimir Spivakov