ECM RECORDS AT 50, ROSE THEATER AT JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER, nyc, NOV 2
photography by ©Clara Pereira / text by Filipe Freitas
The highly influential record label ECM celebrated 50 years of a rich musical life at the majestic Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, New York. The commemoration lasted two days, relying on performances from an incredible roster of affiliated artists, which, cutting across stylistic and geographic boundaries, serve the aesthetic purposes of an imprint that vouches for excellence in contemporary music and sound quality. Present at the event were heavyweights like Enrico Rava, Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell, Egberto Gismonti, Andrew Cyrille, Vijay Iyer, and Jack DeJohnette, among many others. The most notable absence of the night was ECM’s visionary founder Manfred Eicher, the acclaimed producer behind the vast majority of the 1600 titles released on the label.
JazzTrail had the privilege to attend the second night, which happened Saturday, November 2nd, and the first musician to enter the stage was the Brazilian Egberto Gismonti, who interpreted two solo pieces on the piano, one deliciously intimate and another rhythmically daring and packed with mechanical left-hand stabs.
The avid audience was offered other solo piano performances by Meredith Monk, who dedicated her 1981 “Gotham Lullaby” to the Earth and the memory of the late percussionist/violinist Collin Walcott; Craig Taborn, whose killing spasmodic start evolved into a chiaroscuro duality before embracing a raving Afro-centric groove; and Nik Bartsch, whose sonic tapestries were a naked reflection of what he has been doing with his projects Mobile and Ronin.
American bassist Larry Grenadier and German cellist Anja Lechner also performed solo. The former bowed masterfully one piece from his latest album The Gleaners, whereas the latter leaned on the classical genre, interpreting an 18th-century piece from composer Carl Friedrich Abel.
The compelling duos of Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan, Vijay Iyer/Wadada Leo Smith, and Ethan Iverson/Mark Turner provided diverse aesthetics. Frisell and Wadada also shared the stage with the unique drummer Andrew Cyrille to perform the latter’s “Pretty Beauty”, included on their exceptional album Lebroba.
Trumpeters Avishai Cohen, who dedicated “Will I Die, Miss? Will I Die?” to the Kurdish people in Syria, and Ralph Alessi, who picked “Iram Issela” to give a glimpse of his most recent work Imaginary Friends, led their quartet and quintet, respectively, with fortitude.
Israeli Shai Maestro embarked on a long piano dissertation enriched by nimble outside moves, which served as an introduction for “Hank and Charlie”, a composition he wrote to homage pianist Hank Jones and bassist Charlie Haden. Backing him were Grenadier on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums.
The phenomenal trio of saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, electric bassist Matthew Garrison, and drummer Jack DeJohnette delivered spectacular moments filled with evocative jazz spirit, herculean funky grooves, and even a slice of metal-flavored prog rock wrapped in distortion.
The night wouldn't have been the same without saxophonist Joe Lovano, who appeared on two acts. In the first half, he was joined by his Trio Tapestry associates, pianist Marilyn Crispell and percussionist Carmen Castaldi. They filled the theater with the most spiritual song of the night, “Seeds of Change”, and a bop-inflected exercise titled “The Smiling Dog”. He was given the honor of closing the event in the company of the unparalleled Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava, with whom he formed an authoritative frontline. The latter’s “Interiors” and the saxophonist’s “Fort Worth” were the titles chosen from their co-led album Roma, whose rhythm section includes pianist Giovanni Guidi, bassist Dezron Douglas and drummer Nasheet Waits, all present that night.
Congratulations to Eicher and the ECM team for all the work done and for seeing music as the universal language that it is.