Pierre Favre

It's hard to imagine that a group as bottom-heavy as percussionist Pierre Favre's new ensemble could actually sound light and ethereal. But Fleuve does just that. With a septet featuring two basses, tuba/serpent, percussion and, at times, bass clarinet, there's no shortage of warmth and depth. But with guitar, harp and soprano saxophone fleshing out the middle and top end, Fleuve manages to have both weight and an airy ambience that works, in no small part, due to Favre's carefully crafted compositions and the kind of sonic transparency that's long been a defining aspect of the ECM aesthetic.

Don Cherry & Irene Schweizer - Musical Monsters (1980) {Intakt CD 269 rel 2016}
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© 1980, 2016 Intakt Records | Intakt CD 269
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Trumpet / Piano

"The music of this concert is adventurous, taking the liberty of breaking all the rules of style through playing without getting totally out of hand", writes Christian Rentsch in the liner notes. In short: This CD is a stroke of luck. For decades, the live recording of the Musical Monsters from 30 August 1980 lay carefully packed away in the archives of the Jazzfestival Willisau. When Irène Schweizer got to hear the recordings it was immediately clear to her: This recording has to be put out.

ECM made history in 1984 with the release of Tabula rasa, the first of the jazz label’s equally influential New Series. Not only did this beloved recording introduce many to the music of Arvo Pärt, but it also clarified producer Manfred Eicher’s classical roots and fed into the likeminded sensibilities Eicher was then bringing with increasing confidence to his groundbreaking approach to jazz. It is therefore appropriate that Pärt, the imprint’s shining star, should be represented here more than any other composer or performer.

Franco Cerri - Franco Cerri and His European Jazz Stars (1959) {Japan Mini LP DIW-3018 rel 2009}
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© 1959, 2009 Columbia Records Italy / DIW Records | DIW-3018
Jazz / Cool / Bop / Guitar / Saxophone

A gem of a session from Italian guitarist Franco Cerri — recording here at the end of the 50s with a well-titled batch of European jazz stars ! The groups shift slightly throughout the set, and players include Lars Gullin on baritone sax, Flavio Ambrosetti on alto, George Gruntz on piano, and Pierre Favre on drums ! The album features one trio track, three quartet numbers, three quintet tunes, and one sextet cut — all of them with Cerri's illuminating single-line work on guitar — sounding especially nice next to the horns. Ambrosetti is a real treat here — a sharp-edged player we'd never heard before, working with a strong undercurrent of soul that we really appreciate.

Paul Giger - Alpstein (1991) {ECM 1426]
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© 1991 ECM Records | ECM 1426
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Chamber Music / Folk Jazz / Violin

Violin virtuoso Paul Giger revisits his roots with this, his second solo recording, Alpstein, which features pieces for violin, saxophone, and percussion based on the folk traditions of the Alpstein region of Switzerland. Three pieces here are entitled "Zäuerli" – named after the sad majestic "natur yodel" tradition of the Outer Rhoden region. These are sweeping and majestic with high harmonic bowstrokes. This recording features the saxophone work of Jan Garbarek and the percussion of Pierre Favre. Both add an incredible warmth to the recording on the pieces they are featured on, most notably "Alpsegen" with its soaring sax lines and manic percussion. Also notable is "Chlauseschuppel," featuring the sounds of cowbells specific to that region. Informative booklet included.