Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

ECM leader debut of French tenor saxophonist Matthieu Bordenave, in trio with pianist Florian Weber and bassist Patrice Moret: nine Bordenave pieces recorded in October 2019 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines, produced by Manfred Eicher.

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.

Andrew Cyrille (drums) with Bill Frisell (guitar), David Virelles (piano, synthesizer) and Ben Street (double bass), in tunes by Frisell, Virelles, Cyrille and Adegoke Steve Colson. Recorded August 2019 at Sound on Sound, produced by Sun Chung.

Debut album of Avishai Cohen's Israeli quintet Big Vicious: Cohen (trumpet, effects, synthesizer), Uzi Ramirez and Yonatan Albalak (guitars, bass), Aviv Cohen and Ziv Ravitz (drums, live sampling). Recorded August 2019 at Studios La Buissonne, produced by Manfred Eicher.

John Scofield (guitar), Steve Swallow (bass guitar) and Bill Stewart (drums) play nine Swallow compositions on Scofield's first ECM album as leader. Recorded in one day in March 2019 at the James L. Dolan Recording Studio, NYU Steinhardt, New York.

First meeting on record of the Marcin Wasilewski Trio (Wasilewski piano, Sławomir Kurkiewicz double bass, Michał Miśkiewicz drums) with tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano. Recorded August 2019 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Piano trio album by Marcin Wasilewski (piano), Sławomir Kurkiewicz (bass) and Michał Miśkiewicz (drums): three group improvisations plus Bach, Carla Bley, The Doors and an original. Recorded August 2019 at Studios La Buissonne, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 2677, 2021.

ECM debut of New York-based Israeli tenor saxophonist Oded Tzur, with Nitai Hershkovits (piano), Petros Klampanis (bass) and Johnathan Blake (drums). Recorded June 2019 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 2676, 2020.

ECM leader debut of Oslo-based Japanese pianist Ayumi Tanaka, in trio with bassist Christian Meaas Svendsen and drummer Per Oddvar Johansen. Recorded June 2019 at Nasjonal Jazzscene Victoria, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 2675, 2021.

Live sextet recording by Enrico Rava (flugelhorn) with Francesco Bearzatti, Francesco Diodati, Giovanni Guidi, Gabriele Evangelista and Enrico Morello, recorded on 18 August 2019 at Jazz Middelheim, Antwerp. ECM 2672, 2021.

First solo double bass album by Marc Johnson: five originals plus Freedom Jazz Dance, Nardis and the Love Theme from Spartacus, recorded January-February 2018 at Nacena Studios, São Paulo, produced by Johnson and Eliane Elias.

Trio album by pianist Carla Bley with saxophonist Andy Sheppard and bass guitarist Steve Swallow: three new Bley suites recorded May 2019 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

First album by the Julia Hülsmann Quartet with tenor saxophonist Uli Kempendorff, bassist Marc Muellbauer and drummer Heinrich Köbberling, recorded March 2019 at Studios La Buissonne, produced by Thomas Herr; originals by all four plus two versions of This Is Not America.

Quartet album by French bassist Michel Benita (double bass, laptop) with Matthieu Michel (flugelhorn), Jozef Dumoulin (Fender Rhodes, electronics) and Philippe Garcia (drums, electronics), recorded March 2019 at Studios La Buissonne, produced by Steve Lake.

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.

Trio album by Spanish vibraphonist and marimba player Jorge Rossy with Robert Landfermann (double bass) and Jeff Ballard (drums), nine Rossy originals and one Chris Cheek tune, recorded September 2020 at Jazz Campus Basel.

Album by Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick with Håkon Aase (violin), Andreas Ulvo (piano), Audun Erlien (bass), Torstein Lofthus and Helge Andreas Norbakken (drums) and Stian Carstensen (pedal steel), recorded August 2020 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo.

Solo piano album by French pianist Benjamin Moussay, twelve of his own pieces, recorded in 2019 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Studio album by Norwegian guitarist Terje Rypdal with Ståle Storløkken (keyboards), Endre Hareide Hallre (bass) and Pål Thowsen (drums), six Rypdal compositions recorded February 2019 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo.

Trio album by Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel with Scott Colley (double bass) and Brian Blade (drums): seven originals and two standards, recorded August 2018 at Studio Dede, Tokyo, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Live quintet recording co-led by Enrico Rava (flugelhorn) and Joe Lovano (tenor saxophone, tárogató) with Giovanni Guidi, Dezron Douglas and Gerald Cleaver, from a concert on 10 November 2018 at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome. Produced by Manfred Eicher.

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.

Third ECM solo album by Norwegian pianist Jon Balke: sixteen short pieces for piano and processed soundscapes on the theme of dialogue and polarised speech. Recorded at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano (session of December 2019), produced by Manfred Eicher.

Louis Sclavis (clarinet, bass clarinet) with Benjamin Moussay (piano), Sarah Murcia (double bass) and Christophe Lavergne (drums), playing music inspired by Ernest Pignon-Ernest's street art. Recorded October 2018 at Studios La Buissonne, produced by Manfred Eicher.

First duo album by pianists Vijay Iyer and Craig Taborn, recorded live on 12 March 2018 at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, and produced by Manfred Eicher. Eight improvised pieces, several dedicated to Cecil Taylor, Muhal Richard Abrams, Geri Allen and Jack Whitten.

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.

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.

Debut album by the trio of Thomas Strønen (drums, percussion), Ayumi Tanaka (piano) and Marthe Lea (clarinet, voice, percussion), collectively improvised apart from a Norwegian folk tune, recorded August 2018 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Second ECM album by keyboardist Kit Downes (piano, church organ) with Tom Challenger (tenor saxophone), Lucy Railton (cello), Stian Westerhus (guitar) and Sebastian Rochford (drums), recorded November 2018 in Huddersfield and Snape, produced by Sun Chung.

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.

Third ECM album by trumpeter Ralph Alessi, nine of his compositions for his long-standing quintet with Ravi Coltrane (saxophones), Andy Milne (piano), Drew Gress (double bass) and Mark Ferber (drums). Recorded May 2018 at Studios La Buissonne, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Live duo album by guitarist Bill Frisell and double bassist Thomas Morgan, recorded in March 2016 at the Village Vanguard, New York, during the run that produced Small Town. Pieces by Monk, Motian, Strayhorn, John Barry and traditional songs. Produced by Manfred Eicher.

First ECM album as leader by saxophonist Joe Lovano, eleven of his pieces for a trio with pianist Marilyn Crispell and drummer Carmen Castaldi. Recorded March 2018 at Sear Sound, New York, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Debut album of the trio Sun of Goldfinger: David Torn (electric guitar, live looping, electronics), Tim Berne (alto saxophone) and Ches Smith (drums, electronics, tanbou), with Craig Taborn and strings on one track, recorded 2015 and 2018 in New York studios.

ECM leader debut of Israeli-French pianist Yonathan Avishai, in trio with Yoni Zelnik (double bass) and Donald Kontomanou (drums): Ellington's Mood Indigo and seven originals, recorded February 2018 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Quintet album by Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel with Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet), Brad Mehldau (piano), Larry Grenadier (double bass) and Eric Harland (drums), recorded February 2018 at Studios La Buissonne, produced by Manfred Eicher.

First recording by the trio of Michele Rabbia (drums, electronics), Gianluca Petrella (trombone, sounds) and Eivind Aarset (guitar, electronics), mostly improvised, recorded January 2018 at ArteSuono Studio, Udine, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Piano trio album by Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen with Sigurd Hole (double bass) and Jarle Vespestad (drums): originals, Bach chorales and Norwegian hymns, recorded January 2018 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Quartet album by Norwegian saxophonist Trygve Seim (tenor, soprano) with Kristjan Randalu (piano), Mats Eilertsen (double bass) and Markku Ounaskari (drums). Eleven Seim compositions, recorded January 2018 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 2607, 2018.

Album by pianist Giovanni Guidi with Thomas Morgan (double bass) and João Lobo (drums), joined on six tracks by Francesco Bearzatti (tenor saxophone) and Roberto Cecchetto (guitar). Recorded November 2017 at Studios La Buissonne, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 2604, 2019.