Jazz /
Rubicon
Mats Eilertsen's first ECM album as leader: his own compositions, first commissioned by the Vossajazz Festival, played by a septet with Trygve Seim, Eirik Hegdal, Harmen Fraanje and Rob Waring. Recorded May 2015 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo; produced by Manfred Eicher.
Time Is A Blind Guide
First album by Thomas Strønen's acoustic ensemble Time Is A Blind Guide, with Kit Downes (piano), Håkon Aase, Lucy Railton, Ole Morten Vågan and two percussionists. Recorded June 2015, Rainbow Studio, Oslo; produced by Sun Chung and Strønen.
What was said
Trio album by Tord Gustavsen (piano, electronics, synth bass), Simin Tander (voice) and Jarle Vespestad (drums): Norwegian hymns sung in Pashto plus Rumi and Rexroth settings. Recorded April 2015, Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher.
Continuum
Debut ECM album of Nik Bärtsch's acoustic quartet Mobile (Bärtsch, Sha, Kaspar Rast, Nicolas Stocker), joined on three pieces by a string quintet. Recorded March 2015 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.
Ida Lupino
Largely improvised quartet album by Giovanni Guidi (piano), Gianluca Petrella (trombone), Louis Sclavis (clarinet, bass clarinet) and Gerald Cleaver (drums), recorded in February 2015 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.
Black Orpheus
Solo piano recital by Masabumi Kikuchi: nine improvisations, Bonfá's Manhã de Carnaval and his own Little Abi. Recorded live on 26 October 2012 at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Recital Hall, his last solo concert; mixed in Oslo and produced by Manfred Eicher.
Ante Lucem
Four-part suite by Iro Haarla for jazz quintet (Haarla, Trygve Seim, Hayden Powell, Ulf Krokfors, Mika Kallio) and the Norrlands Operans Symfoniorkester conducted by Jukka Iisakkila. Recorded October 2012 at NorrlandsOperan, Umeå, at the premiere and in following sessions.
Rumi Songs
Ten settings of poems by Rumi, mostly in Coleman Barks's English versions, by Trygve Seim (saxophones) with Tora Augestad (voice), Frode Haltli (accordion) and Svante Henryson (cello). Recorded February 2015 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo; produced by Manfred Eicher.
The Magical Forest
Song cycle on the myth of the world tree by Sinikka Langeland (kantele, voice) with Arve Henriksen, Trygve Seim, Anders Jormin, Markku Ounaskari and Trio Mediæval. Recorded February 2015 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo; produced by Manfred Eicher.
Warp
Second ECM solo album by Norwegian pianist Jon Balke: sixteen short piano pieces set in "sound images" (field recordings, electronics, voices) made with Audun Kleive. Recorded September 2014 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, mixed 2015 in Lugano; produced by Balke and Manfred Eicher.
You've Been Watching Me
Third ECM album by Tim Berne's Snakeoil, now a quintet: Berne (alto saxophone), Oscar Noriega (clarinets), Ryan Ferreira (guitars), Matt Mitchell (piano, electronics), Ches Smith (drums, vibraphone, timpani). Recorded December 2014 in Rhinebeck, NY; produced by David Torn.
A Suite Of Poems
Song cycle by Ketil Bjørnstad (piano) on thirteen "hotel poems" by Lars Saabye Christensen, sung by Anneli Drecker. Recorded June 2016 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug; produced by Bjørnstad.
Encore
Eberhard Weber's companion album to Résumé: bass solos recorded live with the Jan Garbarek Group in thirteen European cities between 1990 and 2007, reworked with his keyboards and Ack van Rooyen's flugelhorn. Mixed November 2014 at La Buissonne; produced by Manfred Eicher.
Quiver
Second ECM album by trumpeter Ralph Alessi as leader, with Gary Versace (piano), Drew Gress (double bass) and Nasheet Waits (drums), ten Alessi compositions. Recorded September 2014 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, mixed in New York; produced by Manfred Eicher.
Surrounded by Sea
Third ECM album by saxophonist Andy Sheppard, with Eivind Aarset (guitar, electronics), Michel Benita (double bass) and Sebastian Rochford (drums). Recorded August 2014 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano; produced by Manfred Eicher.
Many More Days
Second ECM album by the Swiss-Italian trio Third Reel: Nicolas Masson (tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet), Roberto Pianca (guitar), Emanuele Maniscalco (drums, piano). Recorded August 2014 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano; produced by Manfred Eicher.
The Declaration Of Musical Independence
ECM leader debut of drummer Andrew Cyrille, with Bill Frisell (guitar), Richard Teitelbaum (synthesizer, piano) and Ben Street (double bass). Recorded July 2014 at Brooklyn Recording, New York; produced by Sun Chung.
In The Morning - Music of Alec Wilder
Live trio album devoted to songs and art songs by Alec Wilder, with Stefano Battaglia (piano), Salvatore Maiore (double bass) and Roberto Dani (drums). Recorded 28 April 2014 at Teatro Vittoria, Torino (Torino Jazz Festival); produced by Manfred Eicher.
Now This
Gary Peacock Trio (Peacock, double bass; Marc Copland, piano; Joey Baron, drums): seven Peacock tunes, two by Copland, one by Baron and LaFaro's Gloria's Step, recorded July 2014 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher.
Amorphae
Ben Monder's first ECM album as leader: solo electric guitar, duos with Paul Motian (October 2010, Sear Sound) and with Andrew Cyrille, plus trios with Cyrille and Pete Rende on synthesizer (December 2013, Brooklyn Recording). Produced by Sun Chung.