Music from Germany

Hard-swinging vibraphone and percussion free jazz duets based on compositions by Berger and Don Cherry. In contrast to these largely metallic sounds, there are also two African sounding improvisations on two instruments made from wood -- a bala(fon) (African xylophone) and an osi-drum (slit drum). Reissue of Quark 9996 with an extra piece from the same concert. 61 minutes. Recorded in Albany, NY, 3/20/76.

Carolin Widmann (violin) and Simon Lepper (piano) play duos by Feldman (Spring of Chosroes), Zimmermann (Sonata, 1950), Schoenberg (Phantasy op. 47) and Xenakis (Dikhthas). Recorded October and December 2006 at the WDR Funkhaus, Cologne.

Sparse, minimal but sometimes heavy works from 1969-1978 by german composer Helmut Lachenmann (*1935), slow-motion instrumental breathing, plucking and string-scraping. Including the pieces 'Guero' for prepared piano (H. Lachenmann), 'Pression' for cello solo (W. Taube), 'Pression' for cello solo (M. Bach), and 'Gran Torso' (original version) for string quartet (Società Cameristica Italiana). Comes with 4-pahe 12" booklet.

Thomas Demenga's fourth ECM New Series pairing of Bach and the 20th century: Bach's Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008, with Bernd Alois Zimmermann's solo sonatas for violin (Thomas Zehetmair), viola (Christoph Schiller) and cello, recorded in 1995 in Sandhausen.

Solo album by Stephan Micus, recorded January-February 1992 at MCM Studios, in seven parts for steel drum, voice, dilruba, suling, kortholt, nay and sinding, all played and sung by Micus. First released by ECM in 1992 as ECM 1486.

Solo album by Stephan Micus in four parts for voice, hammered dulcimers, nay, sho, shakuhachi and Bavarian zithers, all played by him through overdubbing. Recorded January 1986 at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg. ECM 1318, 1986.

A collection of remixes and compilation tracks 1999-2006. Carefully edited by Felix Kubin and Eric Mattson, this CD is more than a compilation. It brings lights on the different activities of a great open-minded composer from Hamburg. All these tracks have been composed and recorded by Felix Kubin unless otherwise stated. They have appeared on rare or badly distributed releases. This CD brings back to live these amazing tracks. The power of this release is to build bridges in between composition…

Stephan Micus' 26th solo album for ECM, centred on the Colombian tiple with dilruba, sattar, bowed sapeh, tableharp, nay, Cambodian flute, chord zither and voice, all played and sung by Micus. Recorded 2021-2023 at MCM Studios.

Stephan Micus's 25th solo album for ECM: nine pieces for thunder gods of different cultures, built around the Tibetan dung chen trumpet. Micus plays all instruments and voices, recorded 2020-2022 at MCM Studios.

Stephan Micus's 24th solo album for ECM (2021), recorded alone at MCM Studios between 2018 and 2020, with the Mozambican chikulo, tongue drum, kalimba, sinding, nay, nohkan, suling, sattar, charango, 12-string guitar and voice.

Solo album by Stephan Micus, his 22nd for ECM: ten original pieces led by the Swedish nyckelharpa, with balanzikom, shakuhachi, genbri, chord and bass zithers, steel-string guitar and voice, all played by Micus and recorded 2014-2016 at MCM Studios.

Eleven pieces composed and performed alone by Stephan Micus on nine instruments, including the Moroccan genbri and the San ndingo, both new to his work, plus voice. Recorded 2012-2014 at MCM Studios; his 21st album for ECM.

Solo album by Stephan Micus in ten parts, layering raj nplaim (Laotian free-reed pipe), nohkan, sho, zithers, kalimba, shakuhachi, sinding and up to nineteen of his own voices. Recorded 2007-2010 at MCM Studios; released 2010.

Eight-part suite by Stephan Micus, who plays every instrument and sings every voice: duduk, bass duduk, Bavarian zither, sinding and doussn' gouni harps, charangos, hammered dulcimers, nay, gongs. Recorded 2005-2007 at MCM Studios; his 18th ECM album.

Ten-part instrumental suite by Stephan Micus, who plays every part through multitracking: sattar, mudbesh, hné, nay, suling, sho, shakuhachi, mandobahar, sitar, guitars, hang and gongs. Recorded 2003-2006 at MCM Studios. ECM 1987, 2006.

Stephan Micus's first album with the Armenian duduk, an eight-part suite for duduk, kalimba, shakuhachi, dondon, sattar, guitars and voice, all played by Micus. Recorded 1999-2001 at MCM Studios, released by ECM in 2002.

Fifteenth solo album by Stephan Micus, who plays every instrument and sings every voice, among them doussn' gouni, kalimba, dondon, sarangi, dilruba, sattar, nay and shakuhachi. Recorded 1997-2000 at MCM Studios, Mallorca; released by ECM in 2001. CD edition.

Recorded live at Théâtre Monnot, Beirut on 10 July 2005 at the 5th Irtijal Festival of Improvised Music. Mixed and mastered at The Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago. Limited edition of 1000 numbered copies

Stephan Micus's fourteenth album, built on two West African harps, the bolombatto and the sinding, with voices, steel drums, suling, shakuhachi, nay and tin whistle, all played by Micus. Recorded 1995-1996 at MCM Studios, released by ECM in 1997.

Stephan Micus's cycle of three days and three nights inspired by a stay on Mount Athos, with zither, sattar, shakuhachi, suling, ney, flowerpots and his own multi-tracked voice, recorded at MCM Studios between November 1993 and February 1994.