Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Jon Christensen - Selected Recordings :rarum XX (2004)


ECM :rarum MONTH* (MARCH 2017)

Christensen has no ECM recordings as a leader, but instead supported many other artists, appearing on over 50 ECM albums. As a result, this is one of the most diverse compilations in the box. But regardless of style or track, I'm trying to focus my listening on Christensen's drumming and his interactions with the musicians, particularly with the soloists. Remarkable work. A little too busy for my tastes sometimes, while in other spots Christensen knows exactly when to get out of the way; the interplay is remarkable.


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 9 tracks, 71 minutes.


Title Album Year
1 Personal Mountains Personal Mountains (K. Jarrett) 1979
2 Piscean Dance Solstice (R. Towner) 1975
3 Per Ulv Waves (T. Rypdal) 1997
4 Tutte Bande à Part (Masqualero) 1986
5 Oceanus Solstice 1975
6 War Orphans War Orphans (B. Stenson) 1998
7 My Song My Song (K. Jarrett) 1978
8 Glacial Reconstruction Water Stories (K. Bjørnstad) 1993
9 The Windup Belonging (K. Jarrett) 1974


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None



*Back in June 2015, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:


It's a 12 CD box set (2008) of compilation discs from ECM's :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend.  In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them.  I'll be making my way through the set this month.

ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), originally a German label, was founded in 1969. "Rarum" comes from the Latin root "rarus" meaning "rare" (perhaps foreshadowing that these CDs wouldn't be in print for very long).

Monday, March 27, 2017

Arild Andersen - Selected Recordings :rarum XIX (2004)


ECM :rarum MONTH* (MARCH 2017)

Sorry to disappoint, but I am completely unfamiliar with Andersen and his work and I'm going to need to spend more time with this disc before I have anything worthwhile to write about it. Before receiving this box set, I don't recall reading or hearing his name. Even the Allmusic review admits the Andersen "may not be one of ECM's best-known bandleaders (to Americans, that is), but that hasn't stopped him from amassing an impressive catalog as one of the label's senior statesmen." With the (mostly) peaceful nature of the writing, I'll probably do all my subsequent listenings after dark. It might pair well with the first disc from 2015 ECM offering of Mette Henriette. We'll see.


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 13 tracks, 75 minutes.


Title Album Year
1 Vanilje Bande à Part 1986
2 Svev If You Look Far Enough 1993
3 The Island Hyperborean 1997
4 305 W 18th St Clouds in My Head 1975
5 For All We Know If You Look Far Enough 1993
6 The Sword Under His Wings Molde Concert 1982
7 Shorts In Line 1983
8 Gardsjenta Re-Enter 1991
9 Sagn Sagn 1991
10 She's Gone Achirana 2000
11 Printer Aero 1988
12 A Song I Used to Play Lifelines 1981
13 Sole Green Shading Into Blue 1978


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None



*Back in June 2015, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:


It's a 12 CD box set (2008) of compilation discs from ECM's :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend.  In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them.  I'll be making my way through the set this month.

ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), originally a German label, was founded in 1969. "Rarum" comes from the Latin root "rarus" meaning "rare" (perhaps foreshadowing that these CDs wouldn't be in print for very long).

Friday, March 24, 2017

Eberhard Weber - Selected Recordings :rarum XVIII (2004)


ECM :rarum MONTH* (MARCH 2017)

If you wanted an overview of ECM's characteristic ethereal sound, this compilation would do the trick. Weber's bass playing (and choice of performing partners) is such that his sound defined and shaped the sound of the label, particularly in the '70s. So much so that, in 2015, the label celebrated Weber's 75th birthday with a tribute featuring two nights of concerts resulting in a CD. I'm not going so far as to suggest that every bass player on the ECM label strives to sound like Weber, but I wouldn't argue too much against that assertion. One of the better discs in this box.


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 10 tracks, 73 minutes. Weber picks tracks from many of his projects and in the liner notes explains why he chose each track, the reason given most frequently is his solos. By my count, he features tracks by four different composers on the albums of 5 different leaders. Heck, he doesn't even play on the final track, French Diary, even though he wrote it and it appears on one of his albums. It's all impressive. My favorite cut is Silent Feet but the most mesmerizing is Fluid Rustle.

Much like the Pat Metheny disc in the this series, I could easily put a ✔ by all the tracks. As always, bonus points for chronological order.


Title Album Year
1 Nimbus Solstice 1975
2 The Whopper Passengers 1977
3 Oasis Watercolors 1977
4 Silent Feet Silent Feet 1978
5 Fluid Rustle Fluid Rustle 1979
6 Marizius Later That Evening 1982
7 Gesture Wayfarer 1983
8 Closing Scene Pendulum 1993
9 Her Wild Ways Rites 1998
10 French Diary Endless Days 1997


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None



*Back in June 2015, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:


It's a 12 CD box set (2008) of compilation discs from ECM's :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend.  In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them.  I'll be making my way through the set this month.

ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), originally a German label, was founded in 1969. "Rarum" comes from the Latin root "rarus" meaning "rare" (perhaps foreshadowing that these CDs wouldn't be in print for very long).

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Tomasz Stanko - Selected Recordings :rarum XVII (2004)


ECM :rarum MONTH* (MARCH 2017)

I don't particularly care for Stanko's aggressive trumpet tone - I don't know if I don't like what he's saying, I don't understand what he's saying, or I don't like how he's saying it. However, I do like his writing so this turns out to be an enjoyable compilation. It's somewhat accessible avant-garde jazz (if that makes any sense). Nonetheless, it requires so getting used to as well as repeated listenings to fully appreciate. This ain't background music from the local jazz lounge - it's an ear-opening journey into improvisation and interplay.


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 12 tracks, 75 minutes.

TitleAlbum
Year

Tales for a Girl, 12
Matka Joanna
1995

Pantronic
From the Green Hill
1998

Cain's Brand
Matka Joanna
1995

Tale
Balladyna
1976
Moor
Voice from the Past - Paradigm
1982

Die Weisheit von Le comte Lautréamont
Leosia
1997
Morning Heavy Song
Leosia
1997
Quintet's Time
From the Green Hill
1998

Sleep Safe and Warm
Litana - Music of Krzysztof Komeda
1997

Litana
Litana - Music of Krzysztof Komeda
1997

Together
Satu
1977
Balladyna
Balladyna
1976


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None



*Back in June 2015, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:


It's a 12 CD box set (2008) of compilation discs from ECM's :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend.  In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them.  I'll be making my way through the set this month.

ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), originally a German label, was founded in 1969. "Rarum" comes from the Latin root "rarus" meaning "rare" (perhaps foreshadowing that these CDs wouldn't be in print for very long).

Monday, March 20, 2017

Paul Motian - Selected Recordings :rarum XVI (2004)


ECM :rarum MONTH* (MARCH 2017)

My least favorite disc in the box set. The musicianship is brilliant and Motian's credentials aren't in question; I just don't care for Motian's adventurous hard-bop and avant-garde compositions here. I'm partial to the tracks with guitarist Bill Frisell because his playing mesmerizes me.


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 9 tracks, 67 minutes.

TitleAlbum
Year

One in Four
The Paul Bley Quartet
1987

Conception Vessel
Conception Vessel
1973

Dance
Dance
1977

Asia
Dance
1977
Folk Song for Rosie
Le Voyage
1979

Abacus
Le Voyage
1979
It should've happened a long time ago
It should've happened a long time ago
1985
Fantasm
Psalm
1982
Mandeville
Psalm
1982

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None



*Back in June 2015, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:


It's a 12 CD box set (2008) of compilation discs from ECM's :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend.  In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them.  I'll be making my way through the set this month.

ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), originally a German label, was founded in 1969. "Rarum" comes from the Latin root "rarus" meaning "rare" (perhaps foreshadowing that these CDs wouldn't be in print for very long).

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Carla Bley - Selected Recordings :rarum XV (2004)


ECM :rarum MONTH* (MARCH 2017)

A brilliant composer/keyboardist/band leader that successfully manages to combine avant-garde, art music, and jazz with a wonderful sense of irreverent humor. Even more impressive when you consider she had no formal music training beyond piano lessons as a youth (there's yet another argument against overpriced higher education). Unique instrumentation varies greatly from track to track: one cut might have Bley performing with a big band, followed by a string quartet, the next cut features only a piano and bass. We're even treated to a oddly folkish song with vocals by a young Linda Ronstadt from Bley's jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill. I should own more of her CDs. An acquired taste, but one well-worth acquiring.


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 11 tracks, 76 minutes.

TitleAlbum
Year

Baseball
4 x 4
2000
Major
Are We There Yet?
1999
End of Vienna
Fancy Chamber Music
1998

Chicken
Song with Legs
1994
On the Stage In Cages
Big Band Theory
1993

Fleur Carnivore
Fleur Carnivore
1989
More Brahms
Sextet
1987
Walking Batteriewoman
Social Studies
1981
Silence
The Ballad of the Fallen
1983

Why
Escalator Over the Hill
1971
Ictus
Thesis (Jimmy Giuffre 3)
1961


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Musique Mecanique (1979)



*Back in June 2015, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:


It's a 12 CD box set (2008) of compilation discs from ECM's :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend. In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them. I'll be making my way through the set this month.

ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), originally a German label, was founded in 1969. "Rarum" comes from the Latin root "rarus" meaning "rare" (perhaps foreshadowing that these CDs wouldn't be in print for very long).

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

John Abercrombie - Selected Recordings :rarum XIV (2004)


ECM :rarum MONTH* (MARCH 2017)

Like many ECM artists, I recognize names of people as sidemen on other artists' albums. I've heard plenty of John Abercrombie's guitar skills but never on his own releases (until I got this nice sampler). I've seen the following adjectives used to describe Abercrombie's playing and tone: dulcet, spare, delicate, understated, and (my personal favorite) multivalent. However you describe it, I enjoy it.

Liner notes include a brief essay from Abercrombie describing how he selected the songs from 30 years worth of ECM recordings and why he chose to present them in (mostly) chronological order, although he doesn't explain why he didn't choose any of his output from the eighties (I guess he didn't like his recordings using the guitar synth).


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 10 tracks, 79 minutes.

TitleAlbum
Year

Timeless
Timeless
1975
Sorecery I
Gateway
1976
Avenue
Sargasso Sea
1976
Memoir
Characters
1978
Stray
Abercrombie Quartet
1979

Big Music
November
1993
Ma Belle Hélène
The Widow in the Window
1990
Carol's Carol
While We're Young
1992

Homecoming
Homecoming
1995
Convolution
Cat 'n' Mouse
2002


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None


*Back in June 2015, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:


It's a 12 CD box set (2008) of compilation discs from ECM's :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend. In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them. I'll be making my way through the set this month.

ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), originally a German label, was founded in 1969. "Rarum" comes from the Latin root "rarus" meaning "rare" (perhaps foreshadowing that these CDs wouldn't be in print for very long).

Friday, March 10, 2017

John Surman - Selected Recordings :rarum XIII (2004)


ECM :rarum MONTH* (MARCH 2017)

I wouldn't know where to start, so I'm wimping out and using ye olde cut-and-paste from Thom Jurek at Allmusic:
Like guitarist Terje Rypdal, with whom he has collaborated, British saxophonist, bandleader, and composer John Surman has had a career on the ECM label that has covered the terrain of new classical music from chamber to orchestral, jazz of the vanguard and groove varieties, new music, and even folk music. This personal selection of his offerings from the label from the years 1976-1999 gives listeners the opportunity to be stunned by his versatility and commitment, and the incredible depth he possesses in each of his chosen fields of inquiry, but given the sheer breadth of his oeuvre, it is impossible on a single disc to give an accurate representation. As a result, what is here is nothing short of stellar. Surman's chosen ramble over the course of his career is in aesthetic rather than chronological order, so listeners have "Druid's Castle" from the 1994 set A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe, a piece for solo soprano and baritone saxophones, kicking it off. Surprisingly, Surman offers "Number Six" from a Miroslav Vitous-led date in 1982 to follow, which is dovetailed with "Portrait of a Romantic," featuring another solo of bass clarinet, recorder, and synthesizer that feels informed by Delius. Thankfully, "The Returning Exile" from The Brass Project is included here, as is a brilliant piece from Adventure Playground in 1991 with sidemen Tony Oxley, Paul Bley, and Gary Peacock. But it is on the four or so solo pieces that the sheer mastery of Surman's command becomes evident, and for these listeners should be grateful.
While it's a mixed bag and acquired taste, I like the solo stuff and recommend checking it out. Of all the discs in this box set, this one is the most welcome discovery.


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 13 tracks, 71 minutes.

TitleAlbum
Year

Druid's Circle
A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe
1995
Number Six
Miroslav Vitouš Group
1997
Portrait of a Romantic
Private City
1987
Ogeda
November
1993
The Returning Exile
The Brass Project
1992

Edges of Illusion
Upon Reflection
1979
The Buccaneers
The Amazing Adventures of Simon Simon
1981

The Snooper
Withholding Pattern
1985

Mountainscape VIII
Mountainscapes
1976
Figfoot
Adventure Playground
1991
Piperspool
Road to Saint Ives
1990
Gone to the Dogs
Nordic Quartet
1995
Stone Flower
Coruscating
2000


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Being singularly infatuated with Edges of Illusion for at least a week after I first heard it. It's trippy as hell and still stops me in my tracks.

If I had known of Surman's work when I was a music student, I no doubt would have transcribed and performed some of his solo stuff. Guess I still could, huh?



*Back in June 2015, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:


It's a 12 CD box set (2008) of compilation discs from ECM's :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend. In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them. I'll be making my way through the set this month.

ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), originally a German label, was founded in 1969. "Rarum" comes from the Latin root "rarus" meaning "rare" (perhaps foreshadowing that these CDs wouldn't be in print for very long).

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Jack DeJohnette - Selected Recordings :rarum XII (2004)


ECM :rarum MONTH* (MARCH 2017)

One of the most recorded and influential jazz drummers of the 20th century, having worked with the likes of Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock, etc. If there was a Hall of Fame for drummers, he'd be in. Whaddaya know - there is a Hall of Fame for Drummers; DeJohnette was inducted in 2010. Like most of these :rarum compilations, this is a mixed bag of everything from solo work to quintets, avant-garde to fusion. I'm trying hard to focus solely on the drumming, ever tried that? Lots of stuff going on makes it more difficult, but I'm up for a challenge.


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 8 tracks, 68 minutes. In a modest change of pace, DeJohnette selects some tunes from albums where he wasn't the leader, including Gateway's How's Never, which was also selected by Dave Holland for his :rarum compilation.


Title Album Year
1 Third World Anthem Album Album 1984
2 Jack In Oneness 1997
3 Feebles, Fables and Ferns In Pas(s)ing (Mick Goodrick) 1979
4 Overture/Communion Ruta and Daitya 1973
5 How's Never Homecoming (Gateway) 1994
6 Silver Hollow New Directions 1978
7 Picture 5 Pictures 1977
8 Picture 6 Pictures 1977


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: In the late '90s, I saw Michael Brecker play and he mentioned DeJohnette by name and I realized I had been pronouncing the name incorrectly for over ten years.



*Back in June 2015, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:


It's a 12 CD box set (2008) of compilation discs from ECM's :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend. In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them. I'll be making my way through the set this month.

ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), originally a German label, was founded in 1969. "Rarum" comes from the Latin root "rarus" meaning "rare" (perhaps foreshadowing that these CDs wouldn't be in print for very long).

Monday, March 6, 2017

Egberto Gismonti - Selected Recordings :rarum XI (2004)


ECM :rarum MONTH* (MARCH 2017)

I was completely unfamiliar with this Brazilian multi-instrumentalist/composer before hearing this disc. Certainly more classical than jazz, the official ECM bio states that "...Gismonti has created a body of work that stand at the crossroads of his native Brazil’s folk tradition and the world of classical music, in a way which echoes his predecessor Heitor Villa-Lobos." Sounds right to me. Each track is an adventure in its own right so the album isn't a cohesive unit, but the disc has deserved more spins than I've given it over the past two years.


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 9 tracks, 75 minutes.

TitleAlbum
Year

Ensaio de Escola de Samba (Dança Dos Escravos)
Infância
1990

Kalimba
Sol Do Meio Dia
1978

Cavaquinho
Sanfona
1981
Bianca
Duas  Vozes
1984
Dança No. 1
Infância
1990

10 Anos
Sanfona
1981
Lundu
Dança Dos Escravos
1989
Frevo
Meeting Point
1997

Selva Amazônica - Pau Rolou
Solo
1979


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None



*Back in June 2015, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:


It's a 12 CD box set (2008) of compilation discs from ECM's :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend. In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them. I'll be making my way through the set this month.

ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), originally a German label, was founded in 1969. "Rarum" comes from the Latin root "rarus" meaning "rare" (perhaps foreshadowing that these CDs wouldn't be in print for very long).

Friday, March 3, 2017

Dave Holland - Selected Recordings :rarum X (2004)


ECM :rarum MONTH* (MARCH 2017)

A British bassist/composer/band leader that got his big break with none other than Miles Davis in 1968, appearing on In A Silent Way and Bitches' Brew. He then went his own way and eventually made his way to the group Circle, which signed to ECM. There, Holland recorded with many different instrumentations from solo cello to big band. In this compilation, but it's mainly recordings with quartets and quintets. No matter the instrumentation, there's always a lot going on - this isn't background music. The avant-garde stuff isn't really my thing, but I can appreciate it for what it is. My picks tend to be the more straight-ahead and fusion tracks. As a compilation, it really doesn't hold up as an album, but I don't think that was the intent.


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 11 tracks, 76 minutes.

TitleAlbum
Year

How's Never
Homecoming (Gateway trio)
1994

You I Love
Jumpin' In (quintet)
1983

Inception
Life Cycle (solo cello)
1982

The Balance
Points of View (quintet)
1998
Equality (feat. Cassandra Wilson)
Dream of the Elders (quartet)
1995

Nemesis
Extensions (quartet)
1990

Shifting Sands
Not for Nothin' (quintet)
2001
Four Winds
Triplicate (trio)
1988

Prime Directive
Prime Directive (quintet)
1999
Homecoming
Seeds of Time (quintet)
1984
Conference of the Birds
Conference of the Birds (quartet)
1972


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None



*Back in June 2015, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:


It's a 12 CD box set (2008) of compilation discs from ECM's :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend. In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them. I'll be making my way through the set this month.

ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), originally a German label, was founded in 1969. "Rarum" comes from the Latin root "rarus" meaning "rare" (perhaps foreshadowing that these CDs wouldn't be in print for very long).

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Pat Metheny - Selected Recordings :rarum IX (2004)


ECM :rarum MONTH* (MARCH 2017)

Metheny may be the ECM label's most renown artist here in the US - the only person that could challenge that claim is possibly Keith Jarrett. Metheny left the ECM label in the mid-80s but for this compilation, the guitarist picked out a top-notch collection of folky jazz fusion tunes from his early years. Excellent detailed liner notes about each song written by Metheny himself. Recommended.


Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: 9 tracks, 72 minutes. (I could easily put a ✔ by all the tracks, so I'm being very selective with my praise today).


Title Album Year
1 Bright Size Life Bright Size Life 1976
2 Phase Dance Pat Metheny Group 1978
3 New Chautauqua New Chautauqua 1979
4 Airstream American Garage 1979
5 Every Day (I Thank You) 80/81 1980
6 "It's For You" As Falls Wichita... 1981
7 Are You Going With Me? Travels 1983
8 The First Circle First Circle 1984
9 Lonely Woman Rejoicing 1984


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My first experience with Metheny was ordering Offramp from the Columbia House record club when I was in high school. I wasn't quite ready for that music then, but by the time First Circle was released a few years later, I grabbed on with both hands. When Metheny and Ornette Coleman collaborated on the free jazz Song X album in 1986, he lost me again. I've never caught back up with Metheny since and I blame myself for that. So I'm stuck with his early releases and I'm okay with that because just listen to them.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Steve Reich - Different Trains, Electric Counterpoint (1989)
The Falcon And The Snowman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1985)
First Circle (1984)
Offramp (1982)



*Back in June 2015, this beautiful thing showed up at my doorstep:


It's a 12 CD box set (2008) of compilation discs from ECM's :rarum series, a birthday gift from a good friend. In this series, the artists were given the freedom to pick their personal favorite recordings from any ECM release they've made as a leader or sideman. In other words, the label got outta the way and good for them. I'll be making my way through the set this month.

ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music), originally a German label, was founded in 1969. "Rarum" comes from the Latin root "rarus" meaning "rare" (perhaps foreshadowing that these CDs wouldn't be in print for very long).