ECM Records

I am 'playing' tonight. And I am playing with ECM records output. And I am listening to Qaws by Anouar Brahem, Jan Garbarek and Shaukat Hussein and I am thinking it is one of the most remarkable pieces of music I have ever heard - Garbarek's blistering quasi-arabic sax solo near the end is one of his finest moments and Brahem flies. ECM records was the label that took innovatory jazz to a new level and made Scandanavia the leader in jazz progression from the 1970's. It has retained that position to this day. George Russell, the great band leader thought the Scandanavians second only to Africans in their innate sense of rhythm.

Anouar Brahem is a Tunisian Oud player who has yet to produce a track that is anything less than interesting. For those that don't know him his album 'Thimar' with Dave Holland and John Surman is a useful entry point. But his greatest is 'Khomsa'. One of my five best albums of all time. His latest 'Le Voyage De Sahar' is fabulous too.