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
Personal Mountains	Personal Mountains (K. Jarrett)	1979
Piscean Dance	Solstice (R. Towner)	1975	✔
Per Ulv	Waves (T. Rypdal)	1997
Tutte	Bande à Part (Masqualero)	1986
Oceanus	Solstice	1975
War Orphans	War Orphans (B. Stenson)	1998
My Song	My Song (K. Jarrett)	1978	✔
Glacial Reconstruction	Water Stories (K. Bjørnstad)	1993
The Windup	Belonging (K. Jarrett)	1974	✔

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

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*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).

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

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

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*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).

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
Nimbus	Solstice	1975
The Whopper	Passengers	1977	✔
Oasis	Watercolors	1977
Silent Feet	Silent Feet	1978	✔
Fluid Rustle	Fluid Rustle	1979	✔
Marizius	Later That Evening	1982
Gesture	Wayfarer	1983
Closing Scene	Pendulum	1993
Her Wild Ways	Rites	1998
French Diary	Endless Days	1997

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

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*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).

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.

Title	Album	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

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*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).

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.

Title	Album	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

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*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).

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.

Title	Album	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)

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*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).

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.

Title	Album	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

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*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).

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.

Title	Album	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?

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*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).

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? Lot's 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
Third World Anthem	Album Album	1984
Jack In	Oneness	1997	✔
Feebles, Fables and Ferns	In Pas(s)ing (Mick Goodrick)	1979
Overture/Communion	Ruta and Daitya	1973	✔
How's Never	Homecoming (Gateway)	1994
Silver Hollow	New Directions	1978	✔
Picture 5	Pictures	1977
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.

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*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).

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.

Title	Album	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

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*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).

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.

Title	Album	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

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*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).

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. He left the ECM label in the mid-80s. 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
Bright Size Life	Bright Size Life	1976
Phase Dance	Pat Metheny Group	1978	✔
New Chautauqua	New Chautauqua	1979
Airstream	American Garage	1979
Every Day (I Thank You)	80/81	1980
"It's For You"	As Falls Wichita...	1981	✔
Are You Going With Me?	Travels	1983	✔
The First Circle	First Circle	1984	✔
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)

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*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).