Jazz & Improvisation / All styles

Duo album by bassist Gary Peacock and pianist Marilyn Crispell: compositions by each, three free improvisations and a solo apiece, recorded January-February 2011 at Nevessa Production, Saugerties, NY, and self-produced. ECM 2292, 2013.

Fifth ECM album by the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble, a sextet with trumpet, tenor saxophone, Hardanger fiddle, cello and drums around Wallumrød's piano and harmonium, playing eleven of his pieces. Recorded at the Auditorio RSI in Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Carla Bley (piano), Andy Sheppard (tenor and soprano saxophones) and Steve Swallow (bass) play five Bley compositions, including three suites. Recorded in April 2012 at the Auditorio RSI in Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher; Bley's first album as leader on ECM itself.

Stefano Battaglia's second trio album for ECM with Salvatore Maiore (double bass) and Roberto Dani (drums): ten Battaglia pieces inspired by imaginary places in literature and myth. Recorded in April 2012 at the Auditorio RSI in Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

First album by Louis Sclavis's Atlas Trio, with Sclavis on clarinet and bass clarinet, Benjamin Moussay on piano, Fender Rhodes and keyboards and Gilles Coronado on electric guitar. Recorded in September 2011 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines.

ECM debut of the Elina Duni Quartet: Albanian traditional songs and new pieces, with Elina Duni (voice), Colin Vallon (piano), Patrice Moret (double bass) and Norbert Pfammatter (drums). Recorded February 2012 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines.

Second ECM album by Food, Thomas Strønen (drums, electronics) and Iain Ballamy (saxophones), with Christian Fennesz, Eivind Aarset, Nils Petter Molvær and Prakash Sontakke. Recorded 2010-2011 at Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Victoria National Jazz Scene and Rainbow Studio, Oslo.

Second ECM album by bassist Michael Formanek, eight original compositions played by his quartet with Tim Berne (alto saxophone), Craig Taborn (piano) and Gerald Cleaver (drums). Recorded December 2011 at Avatar Studios, New York.

Live big-band album: Arild Andersen (double bass) as principal soloist with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra directed by Tommy Smith, in new arrangements of ECM-associated pieces. Recorded October 2010 at Stevenson Hall, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow.

John Abercrombie Quartet tribute to 1960s jazz (Rollins, Davis, Coleman, Coltrane, Evans) with three originals: John Abercrombie (guitar), Joe Lovano (tenor saxophone), Drew Gress (double bass), Joey Baron (drums). Recorded September 2011 at Avatar Studios, New York.

Debut of Trio Libero: Andy Sheppard (tenor and soprano saxophones), Michel Benita (double bass), Sebastian Rochford (drums), with originals, group improvisations and one standard. Recorded July 2011 at the Auditorio RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

ECM debut of the Benedikt Jahnel Trio: Benedikt Jahnel (piano), Antonio Miguel (double bass), Owen Howard (drums), seven Jahnel compositions. Recorded July 2011 at the Auditorio RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

First ECM album by the Billy Hart Quartet: Billy Hart (drums), Ethan Iverson (piano), Mark Turner (tenor saxophone), Ben Street (double bass). Recorded June 2011 at Avatar Studios, New York, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Second ECM album by Batagraf, led by Jon Balke and Helge Andreas Norbakken, with Erland Dahlen, singer Emilie Stoesen Christensen and poet Torgeir Rebolledo Pedersen, recorded in various locations in 2009 and mixed by Olav Torget in 2010/11.

Album by the Tord Gustavsen Quartet, with Gustavsen on piano, Tore Brunborg on tenor saxophone, Mats Eilertsen on double bass and Jarle Vespestad on drums, recorded in February 2011 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Second ECM album by the collective trio Fly, with Mark Turner on tenor saxophone, Larry Grenadier on double bass and Jeff Ballard on drums, recorded in January 2011 at Avatar Studios, New York, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

First ECM album as a leader by saxophonist Tim Berne, with Oscar Noriega (clarinets), Matt Mitchell (piano) and Ches Smith (drums, percussion), recorded in January 2011 at Avatar Studios, New York, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Album by the Bobo Stenson Trio, with Bobo Stenson on piano, Anders Jormin on double bass and Jon Fält on drums, recorded in November and December 2011 at the Auditorio RSI in Lugano and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Anders Jormin's Latin song cycle for singers Mariam Wallentin and Erika Angell, Fredrik Ljungkvist (clarinets, tenor saxophone) and Jon Fält (drums), with one poem by Pia Tafdrup. Recorded January 2011 at Studio Epidemin, Göteborg.

Debut recording of Marilyn Mazur's quartet Celestial Circle, with singer Josefine Cronholm, pianist John Taylor and bassist Anders Jormin: songs by Mazur and group improvisations. Recorded December 2010 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Live piano duets by Chick Corea and Stefano Bollani: improvisations, Jobim, Caymmi, Waller, Davis, standards and originals, recorded at the Umbria Jazz Winter festival, Teatro Mancinelli, Orvieto, at New Year 2010-2011. Produced by Manfred Eicher.

Enrico Rava's quintet with trombonist Gianluca Petrella, pianist Giovanni Guidi, bassist Gabriele Evangelista and drummer Fabrizio Sferra, in Rava originals and a group improvisation. Recorded October 2010 at ArteSuono Studio, Udine, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Clarinettist Gianluigi Trovesi and accordionist Gianni Coscia play Offenbach themes from his operettas and Hoffmann, fused with their own pieces. Recorded January and March 2009 in Perugia, produced by Manfred Eicher, notes by Umberto Eco.

Third ECM album by the Polish trio of Marcin Wasilewski (piano), Slawomir Kurkiewicz (double bass) and Michal Miskiewicz (drums): originals plus pieces by Eisler, Ornette Coleman, Paul Bley and Hermeto Pascoal. Recorded August 2010 in Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Solo piano album by Craig Taborn, his first as leader for ECM: thirteen pieces of his own, played on a Steinway D. Recorded in summer 2010 at Auditorio RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Dino Saluzzi (bandoneon), Anja Lechner (cello) and Felix Saluzzi (tenor saxophone, clarinet) in eleven pieces, mostly by Dino Saluzzi. Recorded July 2010 at Auditorio RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Third ECM album by Nik Bärtsch's Ronin: Nik Bärtsch (piano), Sha (alto saxophone, bass clarinet), Björn Meyer (bass), Kaspar Rast (drums), Andi Pupato (percussion). Recorded March 2010 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines, produced by Manfred Eicher.

ECM debut of bassist Michael Formanek: six of his compositions played with Tim Berne (alto saxophone), Craig Taborn (piano) and Gerald Cleaver (drums). Recorded June 2009, Charlestown Road Studio, Hampton (NJ); released 2010.

Duo album by Keith Jarrett (piano) and Charlie Haden (double bass): eight standards and love songs recorded in March 2007 at Cavelight Studio, Jarrett's home studio in New Jersey. Produced by Jarrett and Manfred Eicher, released 2010.

Second ECM album by the Berlin quartet Cyminology: Cymin Samawatie (voice, Farsi lyrics of her own), Benedikt Jahnel (piano), Ralf Schwarz (double bass), Ketan Bhatti (drums, percussion). Recorded January 2010, Rainbow Studio, Oslo; released 2011.

Live quartet recording by Lee Konitz (alto saxophone), Brad Mehldau (piano), Charlie Haden (double bass) and Paul Motian (drums), playing six standards without rehearsal at Birdland, New York, in December 2009. Produced by Manfred Eicher, released 2011.

Third Tarkovsky-inspired album by pianist François Couturier, with Anja Lechner (cello), Jean-Louis Matinier (accordion) and Jean-Marc Larché (soprano saxophone): nine compositions and three group improvisations. Recorded December 2009, Auditorio RSI, Lugano; released 2011.

Third ECM album by drummer Manu Katché: eleven originals with Tore Brunborg (saxophones), Jason Rebello (piano, Rhodes) and Pino Palladino (bass), plus guests Jacob Young (guitar) and Kami Lyle (voice, trumpet). Recorded December 2009, Studios La Buissonne; released 2010.

Ten pieces by Stefano Battaglia, each named after a mythical or literary place, played by his trio with Salvatore Maiore (double bass) and Roberto Dani (drums). Recorded November 2009 at the Auditorio Radiotelevisione Svizzera, Lugano; released 2011.

Eighteen short duets by Michael Mantler, partly notated and partly improvised, for classical pianist Per Salo and jazz guitarist Bjarne Roupé. Piano recorded June 2010 at Studios La Buissonne, guitar August 2010 in Copenhagen; released 2011.

Solo ECM debut of New York singer, keyboardist and cantor Judith Berkson: her own songs, jazz standards, Schubert, cantorial music and Yiddish song, with voice, piano, Wurlitzer, Rhodes and Hammond. Recorded April 2009 at Artesuono, Udine, produced by Steve Lake.

Second ECM album by Christian Wallumrød's sextet with Eivind Lønning, Gjermund Larsen, Tanja Orning, Giovanna Pessi and Per Oddvar Johansen: through-composed chamber music recorded June 2009 at Auditorio Radio Svizzera, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Trio of Finnish drummer Markku Ounaskari, pianist Samuli Mikkonen and Norwegian trumpeter and singer Per Jørgensen improvising on Russian psalms and Karelian, Vepsian and Udmurt folk songs. Recorded May 2009 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo.

First album by Tomasz Stańko's quintet with Alexi Tuomarila, Jakob Bro, Anders Christensen and Olavi Louhivuori: eight Stańko pieces and two by Krzysztof Komeda, recorded April 2009 at Studios La Buissonne, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Second ECM album by Israeli pianist Anat Fort and the first by her working trio with Gary Wang (double bass) and Roland Schneider (drums), ten Fort originals. Recorded February 2009, Rainbow Studio, Oslo; ECM, 2010.