Jazz Reviews: ECM to the World

Mathias Eick is a trumpeter of serious tone and substance.

(Photo: Colin Eick)

There’s something about ECM records. No matter who the artist is, they never seem to be in a hurry. Don’t mistake that for a lack of intensity: It’s there. But the music that producer Manfred Eicher sends out into the world allows artists a wide berth to experiment and find more interesting roads home. These five recent ECM selections are no exception.

Mathias Eick’s Lullaby (ECM; ★★★★½ 46:31) offers a perfect example. Eick comes to us as a trumpeter of beautiful tone that simply shimmers throughout this album. The title tune may be a lullaby, but it’s putting no one to sleep. With the subtle twists and turns of his playing, Eick creates a dreamlike state with the help of Ole Morten Vågan, a beautifully thoughtful bassist; Kristjan Randalu, a pianist who finds so much more by doing less; and silky brushwork by Hans Hulbækmo on drums. It’s a lovely launchpoint for this really fine album. While Randalu finds space on “Lullaby,” his solo on “My Love” chimes in perfectly, setting the stage for more of Eick’s beautiful trumpet work.

Eick proves to be a fantastic leader, but he’s also an excellent sideman, as he demonstrates on pianist Benjamin Lackner’s Spindrift (ECM; ★★★★ 46:25). Lackner may be a gifted musician, but he’s an even better talent scout, bringing in Eick, tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Linda May Han Oh and Matthieu Chazarenc on drums. This is a killer band playing Lackner’s compositions with grace and exceptionally lovely pace. The title tune kicks off the recording with Turner’s brooding tone creating a noir-ish mood before Lackner’s solo flight lifts the tune with clusters of runs; Lackner hands the solo back to Turner, who matches the pianist’s intensity. “MosquiTo Flats” introduces Eick to the proceedings. It’s a joy to hear this tenor/trumpet combo, and, again, Lackner demonstrates control and grace on the piano.

It’s very difficult to compare the star-power of Spindrift to the fine ensemble interplay of the Julia Hülsmann Quartet on Under The Surface (ECM; ★★★½ 41:07). What’s nice about Hülsmann’s art is that she makes a statement and moves on, as she does on the sweet ballad “May Song,” which clocks in under three minutes and leaves you wanting more, like a great song should. With Uli Kempendorff on tenor saxophone, Marc Muellbauer on bass and Heinrich Köbberling on drums, the quartet creates flowing, atmospheric art that floats on clouds. The group is joined on five of the 10 tunes in the set by Hildegunn Øiseth on trumpet and goat horn, which brings an ancient, howling effect, especially on the tune “Bubbles.”

For something a bit more outside the box, there’s Preludes And Songs (ECM; ★★★ 50:04) by pianist François Couturier and violinist Dominique Pifarély. Leaning more toward a contemporary classical vein, the music, nonetheless, is intriguing. Pifarély is a massively talented, emotive violinist, and Couturier has a pleasant touch on piano. They perform a really interesting arrangement of “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square” with a slightly different title. And the closing number, “I Loves You Porgy,” comes in sweet and just a little off-kilter. It’s a nice way to finish this thoughtful recording.

Finally, Yuval Cohen, the soprano saxophone playing older brother of clarinetist Anat Cohen, steps out of the shadows for his debut on ECM. Titled Winter Poems (ECM; ★★★★ 44:27), the music matches the title with plenty of space, tension-building and blue notes. It’s another quartet recording wherein Cohen is joined by longtime friends Tom Oren on piano, Alon Near on bass and Alon Benjamini on drums. The rhythm section creates a generous bed for Cohen to drift over. It’s one part jazz, for sure, but Cohen’s classical training is absolutely at play throughout with a wonderful clarity of tone. The recording features eight originals composed by Cohen; a personal favorite is “A Song For Lo Am,” a melt-your-heart airy ballad packed with grace. And, just for fun, there’s Cohen’s “For Charlie,” not penned for Mr. Parker, but rather a tip of the hat to Charlie Chaplin. On it, he takes a spin on the melodica that he hauled with him for the occassion. It’s all nostalgia and smiles on this one. DB

from https://downbeat.com