SFJAZZ showcases ECM's distinctive sound 3/23/10 10:29 AM

One highlight of the spring SFJAZZ season is

SFJAZZ showcases a series of concerts showcasing ECM Records, M
anfred Eicherʼs pioneering Munich-based
ECM's distinctive sound label.
By Oakland Jazz Music Examiner, Brian McCoy The series began over the weekend with
March 23, 8:37 AM
Keith Jarrettʼs sold-out solo performance and
continues Saturday with the team of Ralph
Towner and Paolo Fresu. From there, look for
dates by the Tord Gustavsen Ensemble (March
28); the screening of an ECM film, “Sounds
ShareThis and Silence” (April 1); the Tomasz Stanko
Quintet (April 11); and the Charles Lloyd New
Quartet (April 25).
In case you ever wondered (and I had), ECM
stands for Edition of Contemporary Music and
the labelʼs motto is the Most Beautiful Sound
Next to Silence.
And that juxtaposition is, of course, among
ECMʼs signature characteristics. Simply put,
there tends to be a powerful yet subdued
energy to the music, a near-intellectual sense
of jazz that transcends swing. It all bears
Eicherʼs personal imprint, as he has produced
more than 300 sessions over the past 40
years resulting in classic albums from the
likes of Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Chick Corea,
Gary Burton, Jack DeJohnette, Anouar Brahem,
Dave Holland, Pat Metheny, Ralph Towner and
Terje Rypdal, among many others.
As for me, I first encountered ECM as a mid-
ʻ80s college student and admit being
perplexed by that initial disc from the Art
Manfred Eicher has produced more than 300 sessions for Ensemble of Chicago. By contrast, three of my
his ECM Records
jfprods

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SFJAZZ showcases ECM's distinctive sound 3/23/10 10:29 AM

favorite 2009 albums – Steve Kuhnʼs “Mostly

Coltrane,” Stefano Bollaniʼs “Stones in the
Water” and John Abercrombieʼs “Wait Till You
See Her” – were ECM releases. Gustavsenʼs
new album, “Restored, Returned,” is another
winner; click here to read my review. Oakland Jazz Music
ECMʼs approach to graphic design is likewise Examiner
of a piece. Its album and now CD sleeves tend Brian McCoyjfprods
to be minimalist yet evocative, managing in
subtle ways to illustrate and expand the To see more, visit us at examiner.com.
music within. Indeed, the design is so striking
that it has been the focus of two books,
“Sleeves of Desire” and “Windfall Light,” both
edited by Lars Müller.
All this is as Eicher would want it. After all,
he has said, “I believe the producerʼs role is to
capture the music he likes, to present it to
those who donʼt know it yet."

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