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ECM Style Jazz

It is rare that a specific sound is associated with a record label. Blue Note, in the 1960s, had it; and to a lesser extent so did Impulse! With an austere, almost Spartan approach, ECM Records has, since the early 1970s, represented a label synonymous with a clarity of sound that approaches some of the finest classical recordings in ambience.


ECM represents the unique vision of one man; Manfred Eicher, who has produced the lion's share of their seven-hundred or so recordings. He has defined a style that, to a large extent, represents chamber jazz, small group recordings with a strong European impressionist influence. With a unique sound that manages to transcend individual genres, ECM has become more than a label; it has become a style all its own, one that many artists now emulate; from the way reverb is used in recording to the overall importance of space in the music; from an emphasis on "music of the moment" to the idea of putting together groups of seemingly disparate musicians to see what the end result will be. The style places almost as much importance on what is not played as what is.


The style is synonymous with spontaneity and experimentation; even when the music has a strong compositional element, exploration is never far away. With the label having given a number of Scandinavian artists broader international exposure, ECM style jazz often also incorporates a certain iciness; a certain Nordic cool; even the most free-style recordings demonstrate a surprising calm, a sense of stillness.

Top Seller

Various Artists
Assemblage 1998-2008

Recommended Titles


Key Artists


Key Labels

Between The Lines
Cryptogramophone
Nine Winds Records
Sketch

ECM Style Jazz titles


Cloud Plate - click for details

Alex Cline, Kaoru, Miya Masaoka, G.E. Stinson
"Cloud Plate"
The Willow - click for details

Frank Kimbrough/Joe Locke
"The Willow"
Worlds - click for details

Erwin Vann
"Worlds"
Time Changes - click for details

Mark Dresser/Denman Maroney
"Time Changes"
Any terrain tumultuous - click for details

Marilyn Crispell - François Houle
"Any terrain tumultuous"
Portrait in Red - click for details

Michael Jefry Stevens
"Portrait in Red"

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