Eberhard Weber: Stages Of A Long Journey (2007)

In March 2005 the Stuttgart Theaterhaus Jazztage Festival celebrated Eberhard Weber's birthday with two spectacular concerts. Stages Of A Long Journey is the recording drawn from these concerts and is comprised of some of the biggest hits of Weber's career newly arranged for soloists, small group and orchestra. The album also brings together an all-star group of musicians and long-term associates that includes Marilyn Mazur, Gary Burton and Jan Garbarek, with Burton and Garbarek together for the first time on disc. Stages Of A Long Journey is Eberhard Weber's first recording as a leader in seven years and is sure to delight long-term and first generation ECM listeners. Born in 1940 in Sttutgart, Eberhard Weber made his first record as a leader, and first ECM recording, in 1973 - The Colours of Chloë. Since then he has made 11 more albums under his name and all of these on ECM. He has collaborated with a who's-who of past and present ECM stars including Gary Burton, Pat Metheny and Jan Garbarek, as well as with the British pop star Kate Bush. Weber's compositions are known for blending elements of jazz, classical, minimalism and ambient music with lyrical melodies and an attention to color and dramatic detail.

Tracklist:

1. Silent Feet

2. Syndrome
3. Yesterdays
4. Seven Movements / Birthday Suite
5. Colours Of Chloe, The
6. Piano Transitino
7. Maurizius
8. Percussion Transition
9. Yellow Fields
10. Hang Around
11. Last Stage
12. Air
Personnel:
Eberhard Weber (bass instrument)
Jan Garbarek (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone)
Rainer Bruninghaus (piano, keyboards)
Wolfgang Dauner (piano)
Gary Burton (vibraphone)
Marilyn Mazur (drums, percussion)
SWRRadio Symphony Orchestra, Nino G, Roland Kluttig (conducted)
Stages of a Long Journey
Rapidshare / Hotfile @ 320K

Manu Katché: Neghbourhood (2005) mp3 @ 320K

The superb French/Ivory Coast drummer Manu Katche, long a backing force on many ECM sessions, steps out on his own for the first time on this label and comes up with a gem — with a little help from some of the ECM stars. Indeed, "Neighbourhood" is a very appropriate title, for there are several interlocking orbits of personnel within this album. For a start, the CD marks another collaboration between trumpeter Tomasz Stanko and saxophonist Jan Garbarek, the latter whom Katche has been backing on and off since the early '90s. Moreover Stanko brought along part of his Polish rhythm team, pianist Marcin Wasilewski and bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz, for the session. Michel Petrucciani is clearly on Katche's mind, for not only is the album dedicated to the late pianist, the reflective, ardently lyrical mood of Katche's compositions — and Wasilewski's piano work — are quite reminiscent of Petrucciani at his most relaxed. And Katche can write; his tunes are often wistful and thoughtful, his percussive backing crisp yet subtle, carefully filling in the cracks while keeping just enough of a gentle pulse. The best of the lot, the simple angular tune of "Good Influence," grabs you by the throat, tugs at your heart, and doesn't quit the memory — sure signs of greatness. By contrast, "Lovely Walk" kicks up the tempo behind an ostinato bass while "Take Off and Land" brings in a touch of fatback funk. If there is a single wellspring behind this music — besides Petrucciani of course — Herbie Hancock's acoustic combo recordings of the late '60s come closest in terms of ambience and harmony. Call this album an inspired descendant two generations and an ocean away.

Jan Garbarek Group: Dresden [Live] (2009) mp3 @ 256K [2 cd]

The first ever live album from Jan Garbarek and certain to be one of the year's most successful jazz releases, 'Dresden' captures a fiery and powerful performance, a fine document of the Norwegian saxophonist's exceptional improvising capacities. It's a magnificent release with which to welcome ECM's 40th anniversary season.
Recorded at the city's Alte Schlachthof in October 2007, it captures his group when it was reformulating its approach - earlier that year bassist Yuri Daniel joined the band when Eberhard Weber was sidelined by illness. The new group tackles its repertoire head-on, with the interaction between Garbarek and drummer Manu Katché at the music's centre. Daniel, a Brazilian bassist living in Portugal, helps to anchor the pulses and rhythm patterns and Rainer Brüninghaus maintains his long-established role as colourist-in-action. Both bassist and keyboardist help to shape a climate in which Garbarek's hymnic, declamatory and intensely melodic solos can find full expression, drawing energy also from Katché's hard-driving drums. As The Guardian wrote of their 2007 London Jazz Festival concert, "The contrast between an intense jamming sound and the songlike simplicity of the tunes is always Garbarek's magic mix, but this version of the band has an exhilarating intensity."
Dresden is eagerly awaited. It's been five years since 'In Praise of Dreams', 11 since 'Rites', 16 since 'Twelve Moons', the last disc identified unequiv-ocally as a Jan Garbarek Group album. The popular repertoire on this 2-CD set includes old favourites drawn from 'Twelve Moons' and 'Legend of the Seven Dreams' eras, new material, intriguing cover versions: L. Shankar's "Paper Nut", Milton Nascimento's "Milagre Dos Peixes", Harald Sæverud's "Rondo Amoroso", and tremendous solos by all parties.
Personnel: Jan Garbarek (soprano and tenor saxophones, silje flute), Rainer Brüninghaus (piano, keyboards), Yuri Daniel (bass), Manu Katché (drums)

(160MB)