ECM: C/D, S&D

I have also been suprised how much parts of Eberhardt Weber albums from the 70s sound like Tortoise.

I think that ECM's huge advertising budget may have been a contributory factor to that particular "ambivalence."

The NY Times and a Seattle paper love the new ECM label album Arco Iris from Moroccan vocalist Amina Alaoui who performs old Andalusian compositions here. I haven't heard it but I am intrigued. Ilxer Sanpaku liked the Jon Balke & Amina Alaoui album Siwan that came out on ECM a year or 2 back.

I also just mentioned it here:
Arabic music (not elsewhere classified)

the other ECM thread

ECM s/d.

Posted this on the Arabic music thread but its an ECM label album

Some of the Amina Alaoui album is a little too samey--melancholy nearly fado-like vocals and minimalist flamenco guitar strumming, but on other cuts her voice is exquisite and the instrumental work just lively enough.

― curmudgeon, Thursday, July 14, 2011 1:12 PM

Is there a comprehensive digital repository for 70s ECM gubbins? Preferably not streaming.

The label has a page on Bandcamp but it's barely a handful of relatively recent releases so far, AFAICT.

Boringly I think iTunes/Amazon are the most reliable. Qobuz have some lossless stuff but it gets pretty pricey: http://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/search?q=ecm&i=boutique&f%5Blabel%5D=ECM+Records#results

ECM stuff rarely turns up on streaming services anyway, the old album shows up for a short while on Apple Music and then disappears again.

I'd definitely pay for some sort of digital ECM subscription, either via Bandcamp or Drip or something - all new releases + curated back catalogue selections.

there's tons that never made it to digital in the first place, right?

Pandora, oddly enough, has a decent ECM catalog.

So ECM appears to have popped up on Spotify. So that's nice. Can't find Julian Priester, but Benny Maupin is there, and AEOC.

Only one AEOC album so far - Tribute To Lester. None of their 80s stuff yet.

Urban Bushmen is there, too.

And Full Force!

Not in the US, at least not yet.

Well whaddya know, loads of ECM stuff on Apple Music in the UK now too. Hooray!

I said preferably NOT streaming damnit, Manfred.

I wish someone would do an exploratory ECM back catalog blog like the Kranky one a from few years back.

US Spotify now has Nice Guys, Urban Bushmen, and The Third Decade up, as well as Lester Bowie's All The Magic!/The One and Only and Works, and Roscoe Mitchell's Nine to Get Ready, Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3, Far Side and Bells For the South Side.

God dammit, Eberhard Weber's early records are so beautiful, I've had a couple kicking around for years but never afforded them the proper attention, what a fool.

The Colours Of Chloë might just be the most ECM-y record of all.

good call, I was just thinking of something to stream right now.

I wonder if Joni was paying attention, some of Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is very reminiscent of Weber's music.

I started this rather unsuccessful topic some while back.

Nik Bärtsch's RONIN have a new album out.

What is his best album?

I'm undecided on that but I loved his last one Continuum, and I think both Stoa and Holon are A+. I haven't listened to his band for a while tbh. Luckily ECM are streaming now so it's easy to access his music. Although he looks disturbingly like a shaved barl-head Tony Blair - I don't judge ppl on looks!

He also looks disconcertingly like the singer form Disturbed

Continuum is amazing and I'll probably buy this new one

^^^ This album is Awase Amaze.

yep!

this band/composer are so consistently good, they've never put out anything less than A+ imo.

Listened to Albanian jazz vocalise Elina Duni last weekend, really good. First vocalist on ECM or am I missing any?

Anettete Peacock, Meredith Monk just off the top of my head

lol Annette

June Tabor released at least one album on ECM!

oh, there are literally loads of vocal albums.

Thanks - I've missed these!

SEARCH - Eberhard Weber Later That Evening 1982

SEARCH — Eberhard Weber all

searching that rn sounds great!

As mentioned by others, Elina Duni is not the first vocalist on ECM by a long shot, though she is certainly a fine one. But one ECM vocalist I feel has been overlooked, and could have been a breakout star like Duni, is Cymin Samawatie. She and her band Cyminology have recorded three fine albums on ECM, but they do not seem to have gotten much attention beyond Germany.

really feeling new Tord Gustavsen album tonight, sort of textbook downbeat, bluesy ECM piano trio classicism, but quite powerful and moving stuff.

thanks for the recommendation, sounds very good indeed

Happy he's returned to the trio format. Did not enjoy What Was Said at all.

Been listening to Rainer Bruninghaus' 'Continuum' from 1984 while working this week, it's a nimble and kinda spindly, looking out the window with nothing to do on a rainy day, sounding record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ooEv70T0oY

Eicher put together this tribute to Tomasz Stanko:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOJ4KJz97xo

Wonderful album, thanks for the recommendation. Unobtrusive, subtle music to daydream and look out of the window to. I think it would also be great to write existential love letters to.

I meant the Brüninghaus album...

Listening to the Brüninghaus album right now. It's absolutely gorgeous.

I've only dipped a couple of toes into EM, but this is my favourite era - whether the tonal palette started to get fleshed out a little with synths and digital reverb units.

Has this ever been discussed? Total banger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX6-pNcJqko

* dipped a couple of toes into ECM, obviously.

That's great, Isham only made one record for ECM?

I feel a bit of an early/mid-eighties rabbit hole coming on, see if I can find some more records with that integrated synth feel.

He played on a few other records, but this is his only album as a leader.
https://www.ecmrecords.com/artists/1435045855/mark-isham

Would love some recommendations of other synthy titles.

The opening of Dawn Dance immediately recalls Yes (And You And I) and I think I hear too many influences (oriental, flamenco) to make it work for me, also the rhythm is a little off to me.

Really loving Marc Johnson's solo bass record 'Overpass', maybe the solo bass record I've ever heard (out of not very many, I suppose).

Obsessed (I'd like to post other tracks but only a couple are on youtube, the whole record is streaming though)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNdB8szK9Rk

Just discovered this 1989 album by AM4, not on YouTube but on streaming channels: wild mix of spoken word, soprano saxes, and piano (prepared and otherwise). Feels like performance art, kind of like Meredith Monk. Enjoying it a lot, including their version of Ornette Coleman' "Lonely Woman."

Wolfgang Puschnig
Alto Saxophone, Alto Flute, Hojak, Shakuhachi

Linda Sharrock
Vocals

Uli Scherer
Piano, Prepared Piano, Keyboards

I just realized there are samples on that ECM page linked above ^^. The opening track is super quiet until about 30 seconds in.

Also just listened to that Marc Johnson track Jordan posted. So good too.

Linda Sharrock

sold

Eazy if you haven't heard that "Paradise" LP she did with Sonny and Ilhan Mimaroglu get it now :)

The opening track is super quiet until about 30 seconds in.

okay wow

if you turn it up to where you can just hear what's going on, the sax when it enters will scar you for life

holy shit

also this is awesome TY

ok not sure anything else on this lives up to the first track
i like it don't get me wrong

Flagging that Paradise LP to listen to soon - thanks! And yeah, the first song ("Streets and Rivers") really is the standout.

Paradise is incredible

I'm on my biannual 'Bennie Maupin's *Jewel in the Lotus* is on ECM!' reconnaissance. What a record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4nWCNerR7c

Love that one of Maupin's credits is 'reeds'. Flex.

I've listened to a few Rypdal records, very intriguing but he can get a little abstract for me.

Now I've got around to the expanded Odyssey reissue and this is a lot more full-bodied (or "rock", maybe) than his previous records. Despite the tracks mostly being very, very long they seem more vital than a lot of the other stuff of his I've heard.

It's not on ECM but Maupin's follow-up record Slow Traffic to the Right is an intelligent compromise between some of the virtues of Jewel in the Lotus and the commercial/easy-listening/funky tendencies of the era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMIkv0-aQdk

Posted in the obituary thread, but RIP guitarist Ralph Towner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6FNcN7KXRU

bummer, i had matchbook with gary burton for a while and enjoyed it. from the obit thread:

Oh man, I've been listening to so much Ralph Towner over the last 5 years. He has tons of good stuff on ECM.

― whimsical skeedaddler (Moodles), Sunday, January 18, 2026 10:52 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

does anyone have a good recommendation or two?

I like the group alb Solstice and the self-explanatory Solo Concert - I could go with a good guide to the Oregon stuff myself...

Second the Solstice album, but I was more into his work with Oregon tbh. The recent archival “1974” live album is really good.

Also watched the Live at Molde Jazz 1975 set on YouTube twice today, so good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m7VIHR9lYk

Aforementioned 1975 show, such a treat and love the attentive, beautiful looking Norwegian crowd.