Reviews from the last months

International media welcome the debut recording of Lovano’s new Paramount Quartet

Lovano fans have waited well over a year to sample Paramount Quartet’s debut, which in the tradition of much of his work on for the prolific German label (stretching back to ‘Psalm’ with Paul Motian in 1982) proves luminous, succinct and quite stunning.

Michael Jackson, Downbeat

Joe Lovano, a saxophonist and composer with an unmistakable touch and tone, introduces a new quartet—Paramount—working alongside guitarist Julian Lage, bassist Asante Santi Debriano, and Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun. Across seven tracks—five Lovano originals and two carefully chosen covers—the album creates expansive settings for conversational interplay and individual expression, balancing solid post-bop foundations with adventurous improvisational freedom. […] Lovano has always been an endlessly inventive musician with expansive creative horizons, and this Paramount Quartet reveals yet another compelling chapter in his prolific career. Marked by deep listening, trust, and instinctive communication, this music deserves the highest attention and admiration.

Filipe Freitas, Jazz Trail

Less dense than Lovano’s nineties combos, but also less ethereal than his recent work leading Trio Tapestry, ‘Paramount Quartet’ trims the fat and works the muscle of its bop-based modern jazz. […] In a celebratory mood by the end, Lovano closes out the program with ‘Congregation,’ leading his cohort through the blues, funk, soul, and gospel indicated by the title. It’s a nice rounding out of a disk that sounds like the quartet found their chemistry, picked up their instruments, and had an absolutely grand old time.

Michael Toland, Big Takeover

‘Paramount Quartet’ is a delightful, unpredictable listen that both comforts and thrills.

Jim Hynes, Post Genre

It will surely be hailed as the first collaboration between one of jazz’s most venerated veterans and one of its best young stars. […] A peak performance.

Chris Pearson, The Times

Not many people could call their quartet ‘Paramount’ without risking hubris. But with music this elevated, Lovano and Co. certainly can.

Julian Maynard-Smith, UK Jazz News

Recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the south of France in February 2025, ‘Paramount Quartet’ is the document of a band discovering itself in real time. There’s no grandstanding here. No unnecessary virtuoso display. Just four master musicians listening hard, playing thoughtfully and finding genuine magic in the music they create. By the end, you don’t feel as though you’ve listened to a collection of tracks. You feel as though you’ve spent time in the company of four musicians completely present with one another, following the music wherever it wanted to go. And honestly, I think there’s something quite beautiful about that.

Mike Gates, UK Vibe

A wonderful album and an auspicious debut for the new group seemingly opening up another chapter in Lovano’s long and distinguished career.

Nick Lea, Jazz Views

Bis auf das Eröffnungsstück ‘First Song’ von Charlie Haden und Wayne Shorters Billie-Holiday-Hommage ‘Lady Day’ stehen lauter Eigenkompositionen von Lovano auf dem Programm: ‘Amsterdam’ evoziert ein intensives zweistimmiges Thema, im kammermusikalischen ‘The Call’ und in der ansteckenden ‘Fanfare for Unity’ wechselt Lovano, wenn erforderlich, auch mal zum Sopransax oder zum klarinettenartigen Tarogato. ‘The Great Outdoors’ ist ein strammer Ritt durch die freie Prärie, und im Finale bringt das Quartett mit ‘Congregation’ einen grandiosen Blues ins Ziel. Dieses Album zeigt Joe Lovano, bei allem Traditionsbewusstsein im Sound, als Modernisten, der hungrig neuen musikalischen Fragen und Antworten nachjagt und mit dem Paramount Quartet reiche Beute macht. Vom Prozess, wie die vier Musiker ihre Ideen, Vorschläge und Forderungen miteinander verschränken und dann gemeinsam zuspitzen, geht ein verlockender Zauber aus.

Andreas Schäfler, Junge Welt

‘Mit diesem Quartett haben wir einen einzigartigen Punkt erreicht’, äußert sich Lovano, der auch zum Sopran und zur Tarogato, einem einer Klarinette ähnlichen Holzblasinstrument greift, begeistert. ‘Es ist etwas ganz Besonderes. Es ist etwas Neues. Und diese Jungs, die spielen mit einem echten globalen Bewusstsein.’ Er meint damit den wunderbar Folk und Blues streifenden Gitarristen Julian Lage, den erfahrenen Bassisten Asante Santi Debriano und den Fusion-gestählten Schlagzeuger Will Calhoun. Gemeinsam haben sie ein eindrucksvoll entspanntes, wie bedachtsam artikuliertes Album vorgelegt.

Jörg Konrad, Kultkomplott

Man kann nicht behaupten, dass Joe Lovano mit dem Namen seines neuen Quartetts tiefstapeln würde: Schließlich bedeutet ‘paramount’ im Englischen nichts Geringeres als ‘überragend’. Zweifellos hervorragend sind zumindest die Mitstreiter, die der 73-jährige Saxofonist im Paramount Quartet um sich geschart hat. […] Man hört, wie sich Lovano an Tenor- und Sopransaxofon sowie am Tárogató mit viel Entdeckerlust von den Vorschlägen seiner Mitmusiker treiben lässt. Unbestrittener Sympathieträger der Aufnahme ist aber Gitarrist Lage, der unter anderem Wayne Shorters ‘Lady Day’ mit einem herzerwärmenden Intro und einem wunderbar schnurrenden, slidenden und singenden Solo veredelt. In der Tat überragend.

Josef Engels, Rondo (Five Stars)

Das Joe Lovano Paramount Quartet zeigt auf seinem neuen Album eindrucksvoll, wie moderner Jazz gleichzeitig respektvoll gegenüber der Tradition und vollkommen gegenwärtig klingen kann. Gemeinsam mit Julian Lage, Asante Santi Debriano und Will Calhoun erschafft Joe Lovano ein furchtloses, emotionales und außergewöhnlich intensives Musikerlebnis. […] ein Album, das weit über sich selbst hinausreitet. Wirklich, wirklich großartig!

Sebastian Meissner, Sounds and Books

The vinyl-reissue of Bill Connors’ album Of Mist and Melting within the Luminessence series thrills reviewers in the UK and the USA

Bill Connors’s ‚Of Mist And Melting‘ has long occupied a quietly revered corner of the ECM catalogue, and this Luminessence reissue finally gives the album the presentation and attention it has always deserved. Originally released in 1978, the record arrived at a fascinating turning point in Connors’s career. After the blazing intensity of his work in fusion circles, most famously with Return to Forever, Connors stripped everything back to a far more intimate, exploratory language. What emerged was a complete reimagining of his musical identity, and, in many ways, a one-off, never-to-be-repeated recording session that sounds just as inspiring today as it ever did. […] At the heart of the album is Connors’s extraordinary nylon-string guitar work. His compositions move with a rare combination of delicacy and freedom, balancing lyrical themes with open-ended improvisation. There is a chamber-like sensitivity throughout the record, but it never feels academic or restrained. Instead, the music flows naturally, with an emotional clarity that reveals more detail with every listen. What elevates the album into something truly special, however, is the remarkable ensemble surrounding Connors. Jan Garbarek’s contribution is masterful in its grace and subtlety. Rather than dominating proceedings, his saxophone lines drift in and out like passing weather systems, gently nuanced, thoughtful and perfectly judged. In my opinion, it is some of the most sensitive playing Garbarek ever committed to tape for ECM, adding atmosphere without ever disturbing the fragile balance of the music. Jack DeJohnette is equally magnificent. His drumming throughout the album is nothing short of inspirational, full of colour, intuition and quiet momentum. […] Alongside Gary Peacock’s deeply grounded and melodic bass work, the quartet achieves an almost telepathic level of interplay. […] This Luminessence reissue serves as both a rediscovery and a reminder: perhaps all too often overlooked, Of Mist And Melting is one of ECM’s outstanding achievements. A stunning album from beginning to end – elegant, deeply atmospheric and performed with breathtaking sensitivity by four musicians operating at the highest level.

Mike Gates, UK Vibe

For support, Connors lines up a dream team of saxophonist Jan Garbarek (with whom Connors worked in the Norwegian’s own band), late bassist Gary Peacock, and late drum god Jack DeJohnette – with this combo it would be impossible to suck. On a half-dozen Connors originals, DeJohnette’s crisp cymbal work drives the tunes forward, Peacock grounds each piece to earth, and Garbarek carries most of the melodies with his distinctively liquid lines. That gives Connors plenty of room to contribute accents, counterpoint, and superb harmonies, adding spiraling solos as needed, showing the utmost taste in knowing when to insert himself and when to simply offer musical encouragement. It’s one of the most ego-less leader performances on wax. […] The amalgamation of ethereal acoustic textures with the players’ natural drive puts ‘Of Mist and Melting’ in a rare category: chamber jazz that very nearly rocks.

Michael Toland, The Big Takeover

The duo-recording Reaching For The Moon by Elina Duni with Rob Luft is hailed by UK media

The simplicity of all the arrangements, without the flugelhorn and drums of their previous quartet, makes all the songs more intimate, their own three joint compositions – all love songs pitched between jazz, folk, and chanson – introducing some necessary modern contrasts to what is predominately a traditional or standard set. Throughout, Luft drifts mellifluously as he underlines the emotional expression of each song and enhances its atmosphere, his tone- and pitch- perfect contributions adding considerable heft to every track. The concluding and ever-so-slow ‘Lonely Woman’ sums up the strengths of this fine set perfectly, the added lyrics by Margo Guryan enhancing Coleman’s fine melody to create a personal song of love and longing beautifully sung by Duni and caressed by Luft. Just perfect.

Simon Adams, Jazz Journal

With each new recording for ECM Elina Duni brings something new to the table. Her repertoire is far reaching and the musical collaborations carefully chosen.  Each new project enhances the vocalist’s unique approach to music making, yet with her fellow musicians the results are always greater than the sum of their parts. This has certainly been the case with her partnership with guitarist Rob Luft, and if the two quartet albums ‘Lost Ships’ and ‘A Time To Remember’ seemed to reach to a peak close to perfection this exquisitely intimate duo recording raises the bar once again. This is a fully collaborative project, and if the guitar perfectly accompanies the vocals, then the same applies in reverse. Duni and Luft collaborate on such a level of intimacy that it comes across in the music whether performing original music or a traditional song from Kosovo. […] A beautiful recording that uses electronics, overdubs, lyrics and wordless vocals to create a wonderous setting for these lovely songs, and context in which Elina Duni and Rob Luft are masters of their craft.

Nick Lea, Jazz Views

US, UK and German reviewers on the vinyl-reissue of Tomasz Stanko’s Balladyna within the Luminessence series

‘Balladyna’ is a stunning calling card longtime fans of both the artist and the label need to hear.

Michael Toland, The Big Takeover

The latest instalment in the ECM Luminessence vinyl series this is a welcome reissue that features an artist making his debut for the label some fifty years ago and subsequently became indelibly associated with the ECM sound and aesthetic. If this sounds remarkably confident for a debut, it must be remembered that Stanko had been refining his highly individual trumpet sound and style for some time with several albums under his belt as leader. Here he leads a chordless quartet with longtime collaborator Edward Vesala on drums and, at the suggestion of Manfred Eicher, Dave Holland on bass and saxophonist Tomasz Szukalski. With all due respect to Szukalski who plays with a controlled fire and no little assurance (plays a particularly fine solo on the title track), the real interest in the music comes from the interplay between Stanko, Vesala and Holland.

Nick Lea, Jazz Views

Few albums capture the restless spirit of European jazz in the 1970s as vividly as Balladyna, and this latest reissue in ECM’s Luminessence series is a timely reminder of just how transformative Tomasz Stańko’s music remains. Originally recorded in December 1975 at Tonstudio Bauer in Ludwigsburg and released in April 1976, the album marked the Polish trumpeter’s ECM debut and quickly became the recording that established his reputation beyond Eastern Europe. Stańko himself later admitted, ‘My international name was built on Balladyna.’ Nearly fifty years later, the music still sounds startlingly modern. That is partly due to the extraordinary quartet Stańko assembled: the volcanic Finnish drummer Edward Vesala, whom Stańko described as being ‘like brothers’; the fiercely expressive saxophonist Tomasz Szukalski; and the incomparable Dave Holland on double bass, brought into the session by producer Manfred Eicher. Together they create music that balances an almost anarchic lyricism with adventurous danger in equal measure.

Mike Gates, UK Vibe

Eine wunderbare Musik, voller Energie und Poesie, melancholisch gereift und risikoreich. Hier fanden vier Individualisten zusammen, ohne große Kompromisse einzugehen. Man spürt bis heute, dass Stanko und Szukalski miteinander vertraut sind und dass sie die beiden anderen Stimmen als inspirierende Herausforderung und eine Art unterstützender Freiheit sehen. Stanko spielt schmerzhaft schön, sein Ton hat, trotz dem inneren Freiheitsdrang und der disziplinierten Beherrschung immer etwas schmerzhaft Beseeltes.

Jörg Konrad, Kultkomplott

A German reaction to the new recording of works by Prokofiev, Pärt and Schnittke with the Duo Gazzana

Ihr hier vorliegendes Album ‘Prokofiev / Pärt / Schnittke’ ist ihre nunmehr schon fünfte Einspielung für ECM. Alle drei Komponisten waren zu ihren Leb- und Schaffenszeiten sehr intensiv mit dem politischen Unterdrückungssystem der Sowjetunion, dem ‘dogmatischsten aller Ideologien’ (Stefano Cartucci) persönlich konfrontiert. Trotzdem gelang es ihnen, bei aller charakterlichen Unterschiedlichkeit, ein überdauerndes, allgemein gültiges wie zeitloses musikalisches Werk zu schaffen. Bei Sergei Prokofievs Sonate für Violine und Klavier Nr. 1, die dieses Album eröffnet, zeigt allein die Entstehungsgeschichte, in welch schwierigem (politischem) Umfeld der Komponist bestehen musste. […] Natascia und Raffaella Gazzana interpretieren dieses Werk in einem düsteren Duktus, zum Teil scharfkantig und dissonant – bis auf den dritten Satz, der eine lyrische, ja fast weiche und zarte Grundstimmung und damit Hoffnung vermittelt. Insgesamt ein klares, aber der Zeit seiner Entstehung entsprechend herausforderndes Stück engagierter Musik. […] Arvo Pärts ‘Spiegel im Spiegel’ ist eines der am häufigsten interpretierten Kompositionen des Esten und sicher eine seiner bekanntesten. Ein in seiner Schlichtheit und Reduktion einmaliges Stück, das von dem Duo in seiner kontemplativen Ganzheitlichkeit tranceartig und damit tief berührend umgesetzt wird. Alfred Schnittkes ‘Gratulationsrondo’ beginnt hingegen beschwingter, hat dem Titel entsprechend anfangs noch einen festlichen Grundgestus. Doch im Laufe des Stückes schleichen sich immer stärker dissonante Verstrebungen und eine widerborstige Renitenz ein, die die anfänglich getragene Stimmung zugunsten einer sarkastischen Nachdenklichkeit ablöst. Auch hier zeigt sich das italienische Geschwisterpaar erfrischend sicher und in bester souveräner Eloquenz aufeinander abgestimmt.

Jörg Konrad, Kultkomplott

The new duo recording Memento by Marilyn Crispell and Anders Jormin enchants German reviewers

Ganz behutsam tastet sich das Duo aufeinander zu, mit äußerster Sensiblität darauf bedacht, jedem Klang den ihm gebührenden Raum zu lassen.  Manchmal scheint man den Musikern geradezu beim Nachdenken darüber zuhöreen zu können, ob sie dem  eben angeschlagenen Ton einen weiteren folgen oder ihn lieber erst ausklingen lassen sollen. Es sind Dialoge über Verlust und Trauer, voller Melancholie, Zartheit und Wärme – womöglich am besten zu später Stunde konzentriert unterm Kopfhörer zu genießen.

Reinhold Unger, Münchner Merkur

Poetische Stilleben ergeben sich aus filigran gestalteten Erzählungen, manchmal pointillistisch am Klavier und gestrichenen Bass, manchmal Pizzicato in freien Assoziationen zu dichten Tasten-Akkorden. Ihre ‘Memento’-Momente sind emotionale Korrespondenzen von berührender Aufrichtigkeit.

Hans-Dieter Grünefeld, Neue MusikZeitung