My Music

2020/12/29

On the pages of this homepage I describe my activities around the DIY of audio components – all very technical. However, these beautiful technical toys make little sense without the corresponding software. Therefore I would like to present the most important of my musical favourites at this place.

	Let’s begin with Pat Metheny. This record brought me to jazz at the tender age of 19. When I first heard the song San Lorenzo I put my rock albums aside. Pat Metheny Group Pat Metheny Group 1978 / ECM 1114 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	If I had to choose the ONE album then it would be this one. The interplay of Keith Jarrett and Jan Garbarek is simply indescribable and Country is for me one of the most beautiful jazz pieces ever. Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson & Jon Christensen My Song 1978 / ECM 1115 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com

The two albums above are certainly the most important ones for me, that’s why I especially highlighted them. Below is the promised – alphabetically sorted – list of my top albums. As you can see it is very ECM intensive.

	Nik Bärtsch himself describes his formation Ronin as Zenfunk-Quartet. A very unusual and rhythmic music that fascinates me again and again. Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin Llyrìa 2010 / ECM 2178 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	Like Richard Beirach playing the piano has always appealed to me. This album is certainly one of his most beautiful. Richard Beirach, George Mraz & Jack DeJohnette ELM 1979 / ECM 1142 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	Gary Burton learned playing the vibraphone as an autodidact, developing playing with four mallets. On this album you can also hear the young Pat Metheny. You can experience wonderful music and a perfect control of the instrument. Gary Burton Quartet with Eberhard Weber Passengers 1978 / ECM 1092 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	The Codona Trilogy: Codona, that is Collin Walcott, Don Cherry and Nana Vasconcelos. These three musicians together made a music that no one had heard before and that has not been re-recorded since. However, it is no easy food, but if you like such music you can listen to it all your life – and often. At least that’s how I feel about these three albums. Codona Codona 1979 / ECM 1132 Codona Codona 2 1981 / ECM 1177 Codona Codona 3 1983 / ECM 1243 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	About Steve Eliovson I can’t really report anything. He recorded this one album and then disappeared from the scene. For me it is besides the solo album of Ralph Towner one of the most beautiful guitar recordings, especially since here – again – Collin Walcott contributes a lot. Steve Eliovson & Collin Walcott Dawn Dance 1981 / ECM 1198 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	Friedemann is often referred to as wanderer between the worlds and his music as Contemporary Instrumental Music. I don’t care about any of that, I just like his music. Most of his albums are also excellent from an audiophile point of view. Friedemann Short Stories 2003 / Biber Records 76761 Picture Source: www.jpc.de
	Jan Garbarek has been THE saxophonist for me for decades. There are so many beautiful albums of him and it’s hard for me to choose one here. But this is really one of his most beautiful. Jan Garbarek Visible World 1996 / ECM 1585 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	Wikipedia: Renaud Garcia-Fons is considered one of the most virtuosic double bass players of the present in the stylistic environment of world music and jazz. This album describes musically a journey around the Mediterranean – simply brilliant. Renaud Garcia-Fons Méditerranées 2011 / Enja Records ENJ-9563 2 Picture Source: www.allmusic.de
	If you love jazz with folklore, exotic instruments and perfect music, nothing is wrong with this album. There are a number of extraordinary albums of and with these two musicians and I own most of them. Egberto Gismonti & Nana Vasconcelos Duas Vozes 1985 / ECM 1279 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	An album by and with three exceptional musicians. There are 2 albums from the time with this trio. Actually, I can’t really tell which one I like better, so I just put the older one here. Charlie Haden, Jan Garbarek & Egberto Gismonti Magico 1980 / ECM 1151 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	According to Wikipedia, the best-selling and most popular release of Keith Jarrett. Also the best-selling jazz and best-selling piano solo record. Besides these superlatives, there is also amazingly good music. Keith Jarrett The Köln Concert 1975 / ECM 1064/1065 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	A new acquisition from this year (2018). On this album you can hear a duo – piano and Dobro. With a unique blend of jazz and bluegrass, the two show the amazing similarities between two conflicting worlds: The quiet melancholy of the fjords and the endless solitude of the canyons; the clinking cold of the Norwegian hinterland and the glowing freedom of the American highways. When I first heard the Dobro I sat in front of my loudspeakers and didn’t get my mouth back… Helge Lien & Knut Hem Hummingbird 2018 / Ozella OZ079CD Picture Source: www.jpc.de
	To Pat Metheny I have already written something above. This is an album together with his longtime partner Lyle Mays and the percussionist Nana Vasconcelos. Besides the album above my favorite from the large number of releases from Metheny. Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls 1981 / ECM 1190 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	Oregon is one of my favorite bands since my jazz beginnings. On this recording they only play as a trio, unfortunately without the fatally injured Collin Walcott. This recording was recorded in a church with digital equipment that was audiophile for the time. Oregon Beyond Words 1995 / Chesky JD130 Picture Source: www.jpc.de
	This album with songs written exclusively by Gary Peacock has its own intensity. There are many beautiful albums with this trio, but for me this is by far the best. Gary Peacock, Keith Jarrett & Jack DeJohnette Tales Of Another 1977 / ECM 1101 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	Unfortunately, I only discovered Michel Petrucciani for me in 2019. His way of playing the piano impressed me immediately. The concert of this trio in the Japanese Blue Note 1997 is simply thrilling. Among other things you can hear the best interpretation of Miles Davis “So What”. Michel Petrucciani, Steve Gadd & Anthony Jackson Trio in Japan 2009 / Dreyfus Jazz ‎FDM 46050 369252 Picture Source: www.discogs.com
	During a sleepless night zapping through the TV channels I suddenly saw a recording of a concert from the Herbert Pixner Project. Since I like to listen to the accordion very much, I immediately liked the music really much. Unfortunately, the recording levels are too high and there are a lot of Inter Sample Peaks. Herbert Pixner Projekt Na und?! 2012 / Aktiv Sound Studio Picture Source: www.jpc.de
	The music style is described by the band itself as a mixture of Tango, Valse Musette, Flamenco, lovingly de-dusted film music and an almost faded Italy. I don’t like all albums of the group, but on this album just every song is very beautiful. Quadro Nuevo Mocca Flor 2003 / GLM/Fine Music FM 110-2 Picture Source: www.allmusic.com
	I think about e.s.t. you don’t need to say much. This is my favourite album of this extraordinary trio. It is a tragedy that the work of Esbjörn Svensson ended 2008 so abruptly. e.s.t. – Esbjörn Svensson Trio Tuesday Wonderland 2006 / ACT 9016-2 Picture Source: www.actmusic.com
	A live album that captured the genius of this trio with an incredible intensity. Who can describe it better than Esbjörn Svensson himself: … 8 p.m. – about time to start! We get introduced and enter the stage. Time stops! Performing improvised music is like transcending into another world or dimension. … … It sounded amazing and I was glad to hear how technically well the NDR had taped the show. … The CD is already remarkable, but no comparison with the vinyl! e.s.t. – Esbjörn Svensson Trio Live in Hamburg 2007 / ACT 6002-2 2013 / ACT LP 6002-1 Picture Source: www.actmusic.com
	The only solo album by Esbjörn Svensson, recorded in his private recording room a few weeks before his death. This recording overwhelms one with its inherent intensity and intimacy. For me the album of the year 2022! Esbjörn Svensson HOME.S. 2022 / ACT 9053-2 2022 / ACTLP 9053-1 Picture Source: www.actmusic.com
	The music of the Tingvall Trio has a very special character. It lives from the 3 different cultures of the band members. This trio always takes me right after the first notes. Tingvall Trio Vägen 2011 / Skip Records SKP 9107 Picture Source: www.jpc.de
	Ralph Towner is a member of the group Oregon. But he has also released some very remarkable albums of his own. This one is a breathtaking recording of two solo concerts by him (Munich & Zurich), musically and technically perfect. Ralph Towner Solo Concert 1980 / ECM 1173 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	From Collin Walcott I have already written several times. He was one of the first sitar players in jazz. This album was released under his name. His two musical instruments – Sitar and Tabla – are particularly well accentuated in the pieces. Collin Walcott, John Abercrombie, Dave Holland & Jack DeJohnette Cloud Dance 1976 / ECM 1062 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com
	Wikipedia: Eberhard Weber belongs beside Jaco Pastorius to the few bassists who have greatly expanded the bass playing in jazz. His unique style is immediately recognizable by the tone and phrasing and is described as lyrical, floating and warm. He recorded his most beautiful albums around 1980. This is one of them and my personal favorite. Eberhard Weber Yellow Fields 1976 / ECM 1066 Picture Source: www.ecmrecords.com