ECM Sound - what style of Jazz would you call it?

[Dmitry]

Obviously I am not trying to put all the ECM releases under one banner; I'm referring to their more recent offerings, like Kenny Wheeler's Angel Song or Marc Johnson's Shades of Jade.

Since ECM has produced more than a few cds of this somewhat cold, mediatative music and I'm slowly entering my cds into the Cattrax database, I might as well give these discs a sub-genre title.

I was thinking just christening them as "Jazz:ECM Sound".

That wouldn't apply to just the ECM discs, btw.

What do you think?

[Guy Berger]

I've only heard the Marc Johnson out of the albums you mention, but it sounds like a straightahead jazz album to me (albeit on the ballady side). I'm not sure what you are talking about.

Guy

[Dmitry]

I've only heard the Marc Johnson out of the albums you mention, but it sounds like a straightahead jazz album to me (albeit on the ballady side). I'm not sure what you are talking about.

Guy

Try these -

Ron Miles - Woman's Day

Jon Hassell - Fascinoma

John Abercrombie - Open Land

Pierre Favre - Window Steps

Kimbrough & Locke - The Willow

Kenny Wheeler - A Long Time Ago

It's hard for me to explain, as I am not a music critic, but these [not uniformelyl ECM recordings, btw] carry a certain similarity. I could list 20 others in the similar vein.

[Dmitry]

FASCINOMA is not an ECM recording; it's on Waterlily Acoustics.

I know that. You would too, had you read my post more attentively.

Heh.

[tonym]

To be honest I wouldn't even try to create a sub-genre for the label (and others you feel akin to it). In my ECM collection there's a world of difference between Charles Lloyd's Billy Higgins stuff and the latest Loius Sclavis or early 90's Stanko. True, the production process may give some audlible clues to the label but musically it's very diverse in my opinion.

However, I do have mine all bunched together because of the nature of their packaging it appears more aesthetically pleasing

[mikeweil]

I think styles and categories make less and less sense in times where a multitude of style exists on the scene, on one label, and even within one CD. You always loose so much when you label it under just one category. It may help filing, yes - but I seriously consider filing my collection some day, when I have entered everything into a database, simply by label and number .....

[7/4]

Chamber Jazz? In my database, I just use Jazz and list the label as ECM.

[md655321]

I think 'Contemplative Jazz' fits quite well for many (most?) ECM recordings. I am a HUGE fan of the ECM sound as a whole.

[alocispepraluger102]

I think 'Contemplative Jazz' fits quite well for many (most?) ECM recordings. I am a HUGE fan of the ECM sound as a whole.

i loved towner and keith and jan garbarek and terje rypdal,

and some beautiful stuff 30 years ago.

as a rule now, i cant stand it.

Edited May 14, 2006 by alocispepraluger102

[md655321]

Ok.

And why is that?

[Guest akanalog]

i agree about ECM nowadays.

it seems like they have sort have seen what works and what doesn't work and they stick kind of safely within the limits of what is good and not-ie jarrett solo and with the standards trio, garbarek making many "same-ey" albums in a row with weber and bruninghaus, eberhard weber's only recent album basically being a mellow rehash of his 70s work, rypdal not really doing anything new, dave holland's discs all being sort of same-ey, motian playing with the same old frisell lovano trio, many of the charles lloyd albums sound same-ey (i see his new one is a bit different, though), surman mostly doing his solo stuff, towner mostly doing his solo stuff, stinko keeps recording with his young polish mates....

it seems like enrico rava is still trying some new configurations though.

ECM/JAPO in the 70s and even into the 80s is some of my favorite stuff but to my ears, certainly a lot of the freshness is gone. a lot of rehashing and recapitulating. a lot of good music but no stone cold classics.

[tonym]

i agree about ECM nowadays.

it seems like they have sort have seen what works and what doesn't work and they stick kind of safely within the limits of what is good and not-ie jarrett solo and with the standards trio, garbarek making many "same-ey" albums in a row with weber and bruninghaus, eberhard weber's only recent album basically being a mellow rehash of his 70s work, rypdal not really doing anything new, dave holland's discs all being sort of same-ey, motian playing with the same old frisell lovano trio, many of the charles lloyd albums sound same-ey (i see his new one is a bit different, though), surman mostly doing his solo stuff, towner mostly doing his solo stuff, stinko keeps recording with his young polish mates....

it seems like enrico rava is still trying some new configurations though.

ECM/JAPO in the 70s and even into the 80s is some of my favorite stuff but to my ears, certainly a lot of the freshness is gone. a lot of rehashing and recapitulating. a lot of good music but no stone cold classics.

So there you go.... a whole roster of artists and sounds defined.

[GregK]

i agree about ECM nowadays.

it seems like they have sort have seen what works and what doesn't work and they stick kind of safely within the limits of what is good and not-ie jarrett solo and with the standards trio, garbarek making many "same-ey" albums in a row with weber and bruninghaus, eberhard weber's only recent album basically being a mellow rehash of his 70s work, rypdal not really doing anything new, dave holland's discs all being sort of same-ey, motian playing with the same old frisell lovano trio, many of the charles lloyd albums sound same-ey (i see his new one is a bit different, though), surman mostly doing his solo stuff, towner mostly doing his solo stuff, stinko keeps recording with his young polish mates....

it seems like enrico rava is still trying some new configurations though.

ECM/JAPO in the 70s and even into the 80s is some of my favorite stuff but to my ears, certainly a lot of the freshness is gone. a lot of rehashing and recapitulating. a lot of good music but no stone cold classics.

So there you go.... a whole roster of artists and sounds defined.

Except, Dave Holland isn't on ECM anymore

[Guest akanalog]

well whatever-holland had a pretty long streak there and towards the end the last bunch of albums are all of the same, IMO.