Jazz & Improvisation / Chamber Jazz

Kenny Wheeler's last album: nine of his compositions played on flugelhorn with Stan Sulzmann, John Parricelli, Chris Laurence and Martin France. Recorded December 2013 at Abbey Road Studios, London; produced by Manfred Eicher and Steve Lake.

First album by Chris Potter's eleven-piece Underground Orchestra (reeds, guitar, piano, vibes, two basses, drums, strings), with Craig Taborn, Adam Rogers, Steve Nelson and Mark Feldman. Recorded December 2013 at Avatar Studios, New York; produced by Manfred Eicher.

Debut album of the bass-less Swiss-Italian trio Third Reel: Nicolas Masson (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Roberto Pianca (guitar), Emanuele Maniscalco (drums), sixteen composed and improvised pieces. Recorded February 2012 at the Auditorio RSI, Lugano.

Live duo recording by Lucian Ban (piano) and Mat Maneri (viola): pieces by Ban and Maneri, a joint improvisation and the spiritual Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen. Recorded 5 June 2011 at the Culture Palace, Târgu Mureș, Transylvania.

Guitar trio album by Ralph Towner (classical and 12-string guitar), Wolfgang Muthspiel (electric guitar, voice) and Slava Grigoryan (classical and baritone guitar), with five pieces each by Towner and Muthspiel. Recorded August 2012 at the Auditorio RSI, Lugano.

Julia Hülsmann's trio with Marc Muellbauer and Heinrich Köbberling becomes a quartet with English trumpeter Tom Arthurs: band originals plus Feist, Fumi Udo and de Falla, recorded June 2012 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 2306, 2013.

Ketil Bjørnstad's eight-part suite inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni, commissioned by and recorded live at the Molde International Jazz Festival on 21 July 2010, with Andy Sheppard, Anja Lechner, Eivind Aarset, Arild Andersen and Marilyn Mazur. ECM 2300, 2013.

Duo album by bassist Gary Peacock and pianist Marilyn Crispell: compositions by each, three free improvisations and a solo apiece, recorded January-February 2011 at Nevessa Production, Saugerties, NY, and self-produced. ECM 2292, 2013.

Fifth ECM album by the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble, a sextet with trumpet, tenor saxophone, Hardanger fiddle, cello and drums around Wallumrød's piano and harmonium, playing eleven of his pieces. Recorded at the Auditorio RSI in Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Carla Bley (piano), Andy Sheppard (tenor and soprano saxophones) and Steve Swallow (bass) play five Bley compositions, including three suites. Recorded in April 2012 at the Auditorio RSI in Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher; Bley's first album as leader on ECM itself.

Stefano Battaglia's second trio album for ECM with Salvatore Maiore (double bass) and Roberto Dani (drums): ten Battaglia pieces inspired by imaginary places in literature and myth. Recorded in April 2012 at the Auditorio RSI in Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

First album by Louis Sclavis's Atlas Trio, with Sclavis on clarinet and bass clarinet, Benjamin Moussay on piano, Fender Rhodes and keyboards and Gilles Coronado on electric guitar. Recorded in September 2011 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines.

Third ECM album by the Polish trio of Marcin Wasilewski (piano), Slawomir Kurkiewicz (double bass) and Michal Miskiewicz (drums): originals plus pieces by Eisler, Ornette Coleman, Paul Bley and Hermeto Pascoal. Recorded August 2010 in Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Dino Saluzzi (bandoneon), Anja Lechner (cello) and Felix Saluzzi (tenor saxophone, clarinet) in eleven pieces, mostly by Dino Saluzzi. Recorded July 2010 at Auditorio RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Second ECM album by the Berlin quartet Cyminology: Cymin Samawatie (voice, Farsi lyrics of her own), Benedikt Jahnel (piano), Ralf Schwarz (double bass), Ketan Bhatti (drums, percussion). Recorded January 2010, Rainbow Studio, Oslo; released 2011.

Third Tarkovsky-inspired album by pianist François Couturier, with Anja Lechner (cello), Jean-Louis Matinier (accordion) and Jean-Marc Larché (soprano saxophone): nine compositions and three group improvisations. Recorded December 2009, Auditorio RSI, Lugano; released 2011.

Ten pieces by Stefano Battaglia, each named after a mythical or literary place, played by his trio with Salvatore Maiore (double bass) and Roberto Dani (drums). Recorded November 2009 at the Auditorio Radiotelevisione Svizzera, Lugano; released 2011.

Eighteen short duets by Michael Mantler, partly notated and partly improvised, for classical pianist Per Salo and jazz guitarist Bjarne Roupé. Piano recorded June 2010 at Studios La Buissonne, guitar August 2010 in Copenhagen; released 2011.

Second ECM album by Christian Wallumrød's sextet with Eivind Lønning, Gjermund Larsen, Tanja Orning, Giovanna Pessi and Per Oddvar Johansen: through-composed chamber music recorded June 2009 at Auditorio Radio Svizzera, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Second ECM album by Israeli pianist Anat Fort and the first by her working trio with Gary Wang (double bass) and Roland Schneider (drums), ten Fort originals. Recorded February 2009, Rainbow Studio, Oslo; ECM, 2010.

Tord Gustavsen's first ensemble album after his trio trilogy, with Tore Brunborg (saxophones), Kristin Asbjørnsen (vocals, W.H. Auden settings), Mats Eilertsen (double bass) and Jarle Vespestad (drums). Recorded January 2009, Rainbow Studio, Oslo; ECM, 2009.

Live recording by Roscoe Mitchell and The Note Factory (Corey Wilkes, Craig Taborn, Vijay Iyer, two bassists, two drummers), made on 17 March 2007 at the Stadtsaal, Burghausen, during the Burghausen jazz festival. Released by ECM in 2010.

Duo album by Ralph Towner (classical, 12-string and baritone guitars) and Paolo Fresu (trumpet, flugelhorn): Towner originals, two improvisations and Blue in Green. Recorded in October 2008 at Artesuono, Udine, produced by Manfred Eicher, released by ECM in 2009.

ECM debut of Cyminology: Cymin Samawatie (vocals), Benedikt Jahnel (piano), Ralf Schwarz (double bass) and Ketan Bhatti (drums, percussion), singing Farsi texts by Samawatie, Rumi, Hafez and Forough Farrokhzaad. Recorded in 2008 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, released in 2009.

First ECM solo piano album by Marilyn Crispell: seven improvised Vignettes and other pieces of her own, plus Jayna Nelson's Cuida Tu Espiritu and Arve Henriksen's Stilleweg. Recorded April 2007 at Auditorio Radio Svizzera, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Duo album by Enrico Rava (trumpet) and Stefano Bollani (piano): originals by both, Bruno Martino's Estate, Jobim and Moacir Santos, plus a free improvisation. Recorded November 2006 at Auditorio Radio Svizzera, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Third and last album of Tord Gustavsen's ECM trilogy, with Harald Johnsen (double bass) and Jarle Vespestad (drums). Twelve Gustavsen pieces and one by Johnsen, recorded December 2006 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Christian Wallumrød Ensemble sextet: Wallumrød (piano, harmonium, toy piano), Arve Henriksen, Gjermund Larsen, Tanja Orning, Giovanna Pessi, Per Oddvar Johansen. 24 pieces, recorded October 2006 at Radio Studio DRS, Zurich. CD, ECM 2005, 2007.

Second ECM album by Jacob Young (guitars) with Mathias Eick (trumpet), Vidar Johansen (bass clarinet, tenor saxophone), Mats Eilertsen (double bass) and Jon Christensen (drums). Recorded May 2006 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 1997, 2007.

Solos, duos and a trio by Misha Alperin (piano) with Arkady Shilkloper (French horn, flugelhorn) and Anja Lechner (cello). Recorded July 2006 at Auditorio Radio Svizzera, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 1995, 2008.

Duo album by Dino Saluzzi (bandoneon) and Anja Lechner (cello): seven Saluzzi compositions and Vicente Greco's tango Ojos negros. Recorded April 2006 at Kulturbühne AmBach, Götzis, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 1991, 2007.

Manu Katché's first album as leader for ECM: ten of his compositions played with Jan Garbarek (tenor saxophone), Tomasz Stańko (trumpet), Marcin Wasilewski (piano) and Sławomir Kurkiewicz (double bass). Recorded March and November 2004, Rainbow Studio, Oslo.

Second album by the Tord Gustavsen Trio: twelve compositions by Gustavsen (piano) with Harald Johnsen (double bass) and Jarle Vespestad (drums). Recorded January 2004, Rainbow Studio, Oslo; produced by Manfred Eicher.

First ECM album by the Polish trio of Marcin Wasilewski (piano), Sławomir Kurkiewicz (double bass) and Michał Miśkiewicz (drums): originals, free improvisations and pieces by Björk, Wayne Shorter, Szymanowski and Stańko. Recorded March 2004, Rainbow Studio, Oslo.

Second album by Thomas Strønen's quartet Parish, with Bobo Stenson (piano), Fredrik Ljungkvist (clarinet, tenor saxophone) and Mats Eilertsen (double bass). Recorded April 2004 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Jon Balke (piano, keyboards) and the Magnetic North Orchestra, a septet with Per Jørgensen, Arve Henriksen, Morten Halle, Svante Henryson, Anders Jormin and Audun Kleive. Recorded November 2001 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, released by ECM in 2002.

Trio of Dino Saluzzi (bandoneon), José María Saluzzi (acoustic guitar) and Palle Danielsson (double bass) playing nine Saluzzi compositions. Recorded November 2001 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher, released by ECM in 2003.

Twelve compositions by Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem, written at the piano and played with François Couturier (piano) and Jean-Louis Matinier (accordion). Recorded July 2001 at Radio Studio DRS, Zürich, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 1792, 2002.

Trio album by Yves Robert (trombone), Vincent Courtois (cello) and Cyril Atef (drums), Robert's first ECM album as leader, seven of eight pieces by him. Recorded March 2001 at Piccolo Studio, Paris, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 1787, 2002.

Rosslyn (ECM 1751) is John Taylor's first album as leader on ECM, a piano trio with Marc Johnson (double bass) and Joey Baron (drums), recorded in April 2002 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, and released in January 2003.