Jazz /
River Silver
Michel Benita's ECM leader debut with his group Ethics: Matthieu Michel (flugelhorn), Mieko Miyazaki (koto), Eivind Aarset (guitar, electronics) and Philippe Garcia (drums). Recorded April 2015 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.
Into The Silence
Avishai Cohen's ECM leader debut, a suite written after his father's death in 2014, with Yonathan Avishai, Eric Revis, Nasheet Waits and Bill McHenry. Recorded July 2015 at Studios La Buissonne, produced by Manfred Eicher.
Tracé Provisoire
French violinist Dominique Pifarély's quartet with pianist Antonin Rayon, bassist Bruno Chevillon and drummer François Merville, eight Pifarély compositions. Recorded July 2015 at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines; produced by Manfred Eicher.
Black Ice
First trio album by Dutch pianist Wolfert Brederode, with Icelandic bassist Gulli Gudmundsson and drummer Jasper van Hulten, twelve Brederode pieces and one by Gudmundsson. Recorded July 2015 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano; produced by Manfred Eicher.
The Bell
Trio album led by drummer and percussionist Ches Smith with pianist Craig Taborn and violist Mat Maneri, eight Smith compositions for improvisers. Recorded June 2015 at Avatar Studios, New York; produced by Manfred Eicher.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.