Jazz /
Trickster Orchestra
The 23-piece Trickster Orchestra, founded in Berlin in 2013 and led by singer Cymin Samawatie and percussionist Ketan Bhatti, with Wu Wei (sheng), Naoko Kikuchi (koto) and others. Texts in Farsi, Hebrew, Arabic and Turkish. Recorded January 2019, Meistersaal, Berlin.
Lost Ships
Songs of love and exile by singer Elina Duni and guitarist Rob Luft, with Fred Thomas (piano, drums) and Matthieu Michel (flugelhorn). Recorded February 2020 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines; produced by Manfred Eicher.
Lontano
Second duo album by cellist Anja Lechner and pianist François Couturier: improvisations, original pieces and music by Dutilleux, Kancheli, Brahem, Bach and Ariel Ramírez. Recorded October 2019 at Sendesaal Bremen, produced by Manfred Eicher.
Three Crowns
Second ECM album by the Maciej Obara Quartet (Obara, alto saxophone; Dominik Wania, piano; Ole Morten Vågan, double bass; Gard Nilssen, drums): six Obara originals and two Górecki arrangements, recorded March 2019 at Studios La Buissonne.
La misteriosa musica della Regina Loana
Duo tribute to Umberto Eco by Gianluigi Trovesi (piccolo and alto clarinets) and Gianni Coscia (accordion), inspired by his novel The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana. Recorded November 2017 to January 2018 at Night and Day Studio, Cascinagrossa.
Playing The Room
First duo album by trumpeter Avishai Cohen and pianist Yonathan Avishai, two originals plus themes by Coltrane, Ellington, Ibrahim, Coleman, Milt Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Sasha Argov, recorded September 2018 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.
Albores
Solo bandoneon recital by Argentine musician Dino Saluzzi, nine of his own compositions recorded February to October 2019 at Saluzzi Music Studio, Buenos Aires, produced by Manfred Eicher.
Metamodal
Second ECM album by the Athens quartet of lyra player Sokratis Sinopoulos with Yann Keerim (piano), Dimitris Tsekouras (double bass) and Dimitris Emmanouil (drums), recorded July 2018 at Sierra Studios, Athens, produced by Manfred Eicher.
Partir
First solo album by singer Elina Duni (voice, piano, guitar, percussion): twelve traditional and authored songs about leaving, in nine languages. Recorded July 2017 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines; produced by Manfred Eicher.
Blue Maqams
Quartet album by Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem with Dave Holland (double bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums) and Django Bates (piano), nine Brahem compositions recorded May 2017 at Avatar Studios, New York, produced by Manfred Eicher.
Near East Quartet
ECM debut of the Korean Near East Quartet: Sungjae Son (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet), Suwuk Chung (guitar), Yulhee Kim (voice, percussion), Soojin Suh (drums). Five Son originals and three Korean traditionals, recorded December 2016 at Stradeum, Seoul; produced by Sun Chung.
Gnosis
Eighteen pieces by Cuban pianist David Virelles for piano, Román Díaz's voice and percussion and the Nosotros Ensemble of strings, woodwinds and percussion, with Thomas Morgan on bass. Recorded May 2016 at Avatar Studios, New York; produced by Manfred Eicher.
Time Is A Blind Guide
First album by Thomas Strønen's acoustic ensemble Time Is A Blind Guide, with Kit Downes (piano), Håkon Aase, Lucy Railton, Ole Morten Vågan and two percussionists. Recorded June 2015, Rainbow Studio, Oslo; produced by Sun Chung and Strønen.
What was said
Trio album by Tord Gustavsen (piano, electronics, synth bass), Simin Tander (voice) and Jarle Vespestad (drums): Norwegian hymns sung in Pashto plus Rumi and Rexroth settings. Recorded April 2015, Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher.
Trees Of Light
Swedish-Japanese trio of Anders Jormin (double bass), Lena Willemark (voice, fiddle, viola) and Karin Nakagawa (25-string koto), with poems sung in Älvdalen dialect. Recorded May 2013 at Konstepidemin, Göteborg; executive producer Manfred Eicher.
Dallëndyshe
Second ECM album by singer Elina Duni with Colin Vallon (piano), Patrice Moret (double bass) and Norbert Pfammatter (drums): Albanian traditional songs of love and exile. Recorded July 2014 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines; produced by Manfred Eicher.
Stravaganze consonanti
Gianluigi Trovesi (clarinets, alto saxophone) with Stefano Montanari and a period-instrument ensemble in music by Purcell, Dufay, Trabaci, Josquin and others, plus Trovesi originals and duets with Fulvio Maras. Recorded January 2014 in Cremona.
Mbókó
ECM leader debut of Cuban pianist David Virelles: ten pieces drawing on Abakuá ritual music, with Román Díaz (biankoméko, voice), Marcus Gilmore (drums) and bassists Thomas Morgan and Robert Hurst. Recorded December 2013, Avatar Studios, New York; produced by Manfred Eicher.
Kjølvatn
First ECM album by the Nils Økland Band: Økland (Hardanger fiddle, violin, viola d'amore) with Sigbjørn Apeland, Mats Eilertsen, Håkon Mørch Stene and Rolf-Erik Nystrøm. Recorded June 2012 in Hoff Church, Østre Toten, Norway.
The half-finished heaven
Fourth ECM album by Norwegian kantele player and singer Sinikka Langeland, with Lars Anders Tomter (viola), Trygve Seim (tenor saxophone) and Markku Ounaskari (percussion); three songs set Tomas Tranströmer. Recorded January 2013, Rainbow Studio, Oslo.