Jazz & Improvisation / Contemporary

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Louis Sclavis quintet album on themes from Homer's Odyssey, with Matthieu Metzger (saxophones), Maxime Delpierre (guitar), Olivier Lété (electric bass) and François Merville (drums). Recorded September 2008, Théâtre de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines; ECM, 2009.

Duo album by Ralph Towner (classical, 12-string and baritone guitars) and Paolo Fresu (trumpet, flugelhorn): Towner originals, two improvisations and Blue in Green. Recorded in October 2008 at Artesuono, Udine, produced by Manfred Eicher, released by ECM in 2009.

Stefano Bollani's Danish trio with Jesper Bodilsen (double bass) and Morten Lund (drums), playing originals and pieces by Veloso, Jobim and Poulenc. Recorded in October 2008 at Avatar Studios, New York, produced by Manfred Eicher, released by ECM in 2009.

First ECM album by the Julia Hülsmann Trio: Julia Hülsmann (piano), Marc Muellbauer (double bass), Heinrich Köbberling (drums). Recorded in March 2008 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher, released in 2008.

Song cycle on the life of Aisha by Marc Sinan (guitar) and Julia Hülsmann (piano, compositions) to texts by Marc Schiffer, with Yelena Kuljić (voice), Lena Thies (viola), Marc Muellbauer and Heinrich Köbberling. Recorded March 2008, Rainbow Studio, Oslo.

Gianluigi Trovesi (piccolo and alto clarinet, alto saxophone) with Marco Remondini, Stefano Bertoli and the Filarmonica Mousiké conducted by Savino Acquaviva, in a suite on Italian opera from Monteverdi to Puccini. Recorded September 2006, Teatro Serassi, Villa d'Almè (Bergamo).

Enrico Rava's quintet with Stefano Bollani (piano), Mark Turner (tenor saxophone, his ECM debut), Larry Grenadier (double bass) and Paul Motian (drums): nine Rava pieces and two group improvisations. Recorded February 2008, Avatar Studios, New York.

Seven one-movement concertos by Michael Mantler for soloists including Mantler, Roswell Rudd, Majella Stockhausen and Nick Mason, with the Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin under Roland Kluttig. Recorded 2007-2008 in Berlin, Pernes-les-Fontaines and Union City.

Eberhard Weber reworks twelve solo bass sequences recorded live with the Jan Garbarek Group between 1990 and 2007, adding keyboards, saxophone and selje flute by Garbarek and percussion by Michael DiPasqua. Mixed in 2011 at Studios La Buissonne.

Jazz quartet album by John Surman (baritone and soprano saxophones) with John Abercrombie (guitar), Drew Gress (double bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums). Seven Surman originals plus tunes by John Warren and Billy Strayhorn. Recorded September 2007, Avatar Studios, New York.

First ECM solo piano album by Marilyn Crispell: seven improvised Vignettes and other pieces of her own, plus Jayna Nelson's Cuida Tu Espiritu and Arve Henriksen's Stilleweg. Recorded April 2007 at Auditorio Radio Svizzera, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Duo album by Enrico Rava (trumpet) and Stefano Bollani (piano): originals by both, Bruno Martino's Estate, Jobim and Moacir Santos, plus a free improvisation. Recorded November 2006 at Auditorio Radio Svizzera, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Third and last album of Tord Gustavsen's ECM trilogy, with Harald Johnsen (double bass) and Jarle Vespestad (drums). Twelve Gustavsen pieces and one by Johnsen, recorded December 2006 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher.

Miroslav Vitous (double bass, compositions, arrangements, production) with a shifting ensemble including Randy Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Gary Campbell and Gerald Cleaver, plus orchestral and choral samples. Recorded 2004-2005 in Clavesana, Italy. CD, ECM 2013.

First solo piano album by Jon Balke: 19 short composed and improvised pieces in four chapters and an epilogue, recorded September 2006 at Radio Studio DRS, Zurich, produced by Manfred Eicher. CD, ECM 2010, 2007.

Christian Wallumrød Ensemble sextet: Wallumrød (piano, harmonium, toy piano), Arve Henriksen, Gjermund Larsen, Tanja Orning, Giovanna Pessi, Per Oddvar Johansen. 24 pieces, recorded October 2006 at Radio Studio DRS, Zurich. CD, ECM 2005, 2007.

Solos, duos and a trio by Misha Alperin (piano) with Arkady Shilkloper (French horn, flugelhorn) and Anja Lechner (cello). Recorded July 2006 at Auditorio Radio Svizzera, Lugano, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 1995, 2008.

Duo album by Dino Saluzzi (bandoneon) and Anja Lechner (cello): seven Saluzzi compositions and Vicente Greco's tango Ojos negros. Recorded April 2006 at Kulturbühne AmBach, Götzis, produced by Manfred Eicher. ECM 1991, 2007.

Rain on the Window (ECM 1986, 2008): duets by John Surman (baritone and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet) and organist Howard Moody, recorded January 2006 at Ullern Church, Oslo, produced by Manfred Eicher.