hello,
i know there are some hardcore ecm-collectors here (haim - was that you?) - perhaps someone can show me the light.

i have 3 or 4 records as of now (e.g. "return to whatever" - what a record!) and do also like guitar music, jazz trios and so on. some of the ecm stuff i find def. too esoteric.

can you pls. recommend a few good albums out of these (this is the compl. back catalogue btw):

John Abercrombie: Animato
John Abercrombie: Works
Alperin/Shilkloper: Wave of Sorrow
AM 4: …and she answered:
Art Ensemble of Chicago: Nice Guys
Jon Balke: Nonsentration
Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra
Carla Bley: Dinner Music
Carla Bley/Steve Swallow: Duets
Carla Bley: Heavy Heart
Carla Bley Band: I Hate To Sing
Carla Bley Band: Musique Mecanique
Carla Bley: Night-glo
Carla Bley: Orchestra Jazz Siziliana
Carla Bley: Sextet
The Very Big Carla Bley Band
Lester Bowie: I Only have Eyes For You
Lester Bowie: Works
Gavin Bryars: After The Requiem
Gavin Bryars: Three Viennese Dancers
Alex Cline: The Lamp And The Star
Chick Corea: Piano Improvisation Vol.1
Chick Corea: Return To Forever
Chick Corea: Septet
Jack DeJohnette: Works
Thomas Demenga: Bach/Carter
Doran/Studer: Musik für zwei Kontrabässe…
Sidsel Endresen: So I Write
Walter Fähndrich: Viola
First House: Cantilena
First House: Eréndira
Bill Frisell: Works
Jan Garbarek: All Those Born With Wings
Jan Garbarek: I Took Up The Runes
Agnes Buen Garnås/Jan Garbarek: Rosensfole
Paul Giger: Alpstein
Paul Giger: Chartres
Egberto Gismonti Group: Infancia
Jimmy Giuffre: J. Giuffre 3, 1961 (2-LP 180g)Haden/Garbarek/Gismonti: Folksongs
Paul Hillier: Proensa
Dave Holland: The Razor's Edge
Keith Jarrett: Arbour Zena
Keith Jarrett: Belonging
Keith Jarrett: Bremen/Lausanne (3-LP Box)
Keith Jarrett: Facing You
Keith Jarrett: Hymns/Spheres (2-LP)
Keith Jarrett: The Köln Concert (2-LP)
Keith Jarrett/Jan Garbarek: Luminessence
Keith Jarrett: My Song
Keith Jarrett: Personal Mountains
Keith Jarrett Trio: Still Live (2-LP)
Keith Jarrett Trio: Tribute (2-LP)
Keith Jarrett: Works
Eleni Karaindrou: The Suspended Step…
Kim Kashkashian: Hindemith Sonatas (3-LP) Krakatau: Volition
Gidon Kremer: Edition Lockenhaus (2-LP)
Charles Lloyd Quartet: Fish Out Of Water
Karen Mantler And Her Cat Arnold: Get The Flu Karen Mantler: My Cat Arnold
Michael Mantler: Alien
Michael Mantler: The Hapless Child
Michael Mantler: Live
Michael Mantler: Something There
Masqualero: Aero
Masqualero: Bande À Part
Masqualero: Re-Enter
Pat Metheny Group
Pat Metheny: 80/81 (2-LP)
Pat Metheny Group: American Garage
Pat Metheny Group: Offramp
Pat Metheny Group: Travels (2-LP)
Pat Metheny: Watercolors
Pat Metheny: Works
Stephan Micus: Darkness And Light
Stephan Micus: East Of The Night
Stephan Micus: Koan
Stephan Micus: Ocean
Stephan Micus: Till The End Of Time
Stephan Micus: Twilight Fields
Stephan Micus: Wings Over Water
Meredith Monk: Dolmen Music
Meredith Monk: Do You Be
Arvo Pärt: Miserere
Arvo Pärt: Tabula Rasa
Pärt/Maxwell Davies/Glass: Trivium
Barre Phillips: Aquarian Rain
Werner Pirchner: Eu (2-LP)
H. Russell: The Finnish / Swiss Tour
Terje Rypdal: The Singles Collection
Terje Rypdal: Works
Dino Saluzzi Group: Mojotoro
Louis Sclavis: Rouge
Shankar/Caroline: The Epidemics
Shankar: M.R.C.S.
Shankar: Nobody Told Me
Shankar: Pancha Nadai Pallavi
Shankar: Song For Everyone
Shankar: Vision
Markus Stockhausen: Aparis
Stockhausen/Peacock: Cosi Lontano…
Studer/Doran/Wittwer: Red Twist & Tuned Arrow
John Surman: The Amazing Adventures…
John Surman: Upon Reflection
John Surman: Withholding Pattern
Steve Swallow: Carla
Steve Swallow: Swallow
Steve Tibbetts: Safe Journey
Veljo Tormis: Forgotten Peoples (2-LP)
Ralph Towner: Works
Edward Vesala: Invisible Storm
Edward Vesala: Ode To The Death Of Jazz Vitous/Garbarek/Erskine: Star
Collin Walcott: Works
Eberhard Weber: Chorus
Eberhard Weber: Orchestra
Eberhard Weber Colours: Silent Feet
Eberhard Weber: Works
Steve Weisberg: I Can't Stand Another Night…Kenny Wheeler: Gnu High
K. Wheeler: Music For Large & Small… (2-LP)

thanks and regards, bf.

Wow, where to start?
If you like Abercrombie's sound then go for Cat n Mouse' which features Mark Feldman on violin plus Joey Baron and Marc Johnson on bass. Quite a 'gritty' recording that swings between the balladic and free stop start motion that pervaded much of Ornette Coleman's Atlantic stuff.
Kenny Wheeler's Deer wan is an all time classic with Abercrombie's guitar again instead of piano.
Later stuff like Tord Gustavsen's trio and peter Erskine's discs with John Taylor are quite melodic and equally sublime.

Of those records I would recommend:

John Abercrombie: Works
Art Ensemble of Chicago: Nice Guys
Lester Bowie: I Only have Eyes For You
Lester Bowie: Works
Gavin Bryars: After The Requiem
Gavin Bryars: Three Viennese Dancers
Jack DeJohnette: Works
First House: Cantilena
First House: Eréndira
Bill Frisell: Works
Jan Garbarek: All Those Born With Wings
Jan Garbarek: I Took Up The Runes
Agnes Buen Garnås/Jan Garbarek: Rosensfole
Egberto Gismonti Group: Infancia
Haden/Garbarek/Gismonti: Folksongs
Keith Jarrett: Belonging
Keith Jarrett: Bremen/Lausanne (3-LP Box)
Keith Jarrett: The Köln Concert (2-LP)
Keith Jarrett/Jan Garbarek: Luminessence
Keith Jarrett: My Song
Gidon Kremer: Edition Lockenhaus (2-LP)
Michael Mantler: Alien
Michael Mantler: Live
Masqualero: Bande À Part
Pat Metheny: 80/81 (2-LP)
Pat Metheny Group: Travels (2-LP)
Stephan Micus: Darkness And Light
Stephan Micus: East Of The Night
Stephan Micus: Koan
Stephan Micus: Ocean
Stephan Micus: Till The End Of Time
Stephan Micus: Twilight Fields
Stephan Micus: Wings Over Water
Meredith Monk: Dolmen Music
Arvo Pärt: Miserere
Arvo Pärt: Tabula Rasa
Pärt/Maxwell Davies/Glass: Trivium
Werner Pirchner: Eu (2-LP)
Terje Rypdal: The Singles Collection
Terje Rypdal: Works
Dino Saluzzi Group: Mojotoro
Shankar: M.R.C.S.
Shankar: Nobody Told Me
Shankar: Pancha Nadai Pallavi
Shankar: Song For Everyone
Shankar: Vision
Studer/Doran/Wittwer: Red Twist & Tuned Arrow
John Surman: Withholding Pattern
Steve Tibbetts: Safe Journey

Of course this is only a personal opinion. The Epidemics are easily the worst by the way. I'm surprised it's still available. Also bear in mind that UI haven't selected any Carla Bley or Steve Swallow because I simply don't like their stuff

From this list I have only four, but they are all brilliant and very recommendable:

Art Ensemble of Chicago: Nice Guys
Walter Fähndrich: Viola
Meredith Monk: Dolmen Music
Meredith Monk: Do You Be

I also have some Paul Bley stuff on ECM and would buy any Charles Lloyd record if I found them.

Nice label. Watch out for that cheesy guitar stuff though.

Have fun!

Willem

quote:

Originally posted by willem:

Nice label. Watch out for that cheesy guitar stuff though.

Such as?

Fred

quote:

Originally posted by jcs_smith:

Keith Jarrett: Belonging
Keith Jarrett: My Song

jcs_smith, I'm surprised you omitted Jarrett's Personal Mountains given you picked the above two. Haven't heard it, or don't dig it? If the former, you must! If the latter, why?

All best,
Fred

Here's a short list of ECM albums I can give my highest recommendation to. The list could go on much longer, but it's a start:

Keith Jarrett - Facing You
Keith Jarrett - Bremen/Lausanne
Keith Jarrett - Belonging
Keith Jarrett - My Song
Keith Jarrett - Personal Mountains
Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life
Pat Metheny - First Circle
John Abercrombie - Characters
Ralph Towner - Solstice
Ralph Towner - Blue Sun
Egberto Gismonti - Danca Das Cabecas
Jan Garbarek - I Took Up The Runes
Jan Garbarek - Photo, with ...
Eberhard Weber - Silent Feet
Eberhard Weber - Fluid Rustle
Kenny Wheeler - Gnu High
Paul Bley - Open, To Love

That's enough for now, but there are so many more ...

All best,
Fred

quote:

Originally posted by fred simon:

quote:

Originally posted by willem:

Nice label. Watch out for that cheesy guitar stuff though.

Such as?

Fred

Bill Frissell?

My ECM list,

Eberhard Weber - The Colors of Chloe
Terje Rypdal - Odyssey
Terje Rypdal - What Comes After
Terje Rypdal - Waves
Terje Rypdal - After the Rain
Ralph Towner - Diary
Ralph Towner - Solo Concert
Steve Tibbetts - Safe Journey
Steve Tibbetts - Yr
David Torn - Cloud About Mercury
Keith Jarrett - Facing You
Dave Holland - Conference of the Birds
John Abercrombie - Timeless
Jan Garbarek - Sart
Jan Garbarek - Triptykon

quote:

Originally posted by fred simon:


jcs_smith, I'm surprised you omitted Jarrett's Personal Mountains given you picked the above two. Haven't heard it, or don't dig it? If the former, you must! If the latter, why?

All best,
Fred

The problem I have with Keith Jarrett is that I hafve shed loads of his albums. Too many in fact to keep track of them. As a result there's only one or two of each style that I ever get to listen to. Although having said that I don't listen to the orchestral stuff or the organ stuff. I really need to prune the collection - it's pointless having so much I never listen to. Anyway, yes you're right, Personal Mountains is good and your prompting has just made me listen to it for the first time in years. Although I still prefer my song and belonging.

another big recommendation is the jimmy giuffre 2LP (it contains the original FUSION (verve) and the rest of the session i think).

all these albums are now labeled "nice price" - see website for details.

thanks so far!

regards,christian.