Bill Connors - Of Mist and Melting (1978)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:

Bill Connors - Swimming with a Hole in My Body (1979)

Icy ECM jazz led by guitarist Bill Connors, and featuring Gary Peacock on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums (who else?), and Jan Garbarek on sax. Been on a major ECM kick the past couple of days, expect more soon.

Track listing:

1. Melting

2. Not Forgetting

3. Face in the Water

4. Aubade

5. Cafe Vue

6. Unending

Learning forgetfulness

If you like this, listen to:

Terje Rypdal - After the Rain (1976)

Steve Tibbetts - Northern Song (1982)

Kenny Wheeler - Deer Wan (1978)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
John Taylor, Norma Winston, & Kenny Wheeler - Azimuth (1977)

Laid-back but sprawling, stream-of-consciousness pieces, helmed by Canadian trumpeter/flugelhorn-player Kenny Wheeler, and featuring a band of ECM heavyweights -- check the tags.

Track listing:
1. Peace for Five
2. 3/4 in the Afternoon
3. Sumother Song
4. Deer Wan

Follow down

You'd also enjoy:

Barre Phillips -
Mountainscapes (1976)

Paul Motian Trio -
Le Voyage (1979)

Terje Rypdal - Terje Typdal (1971)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Terje Rypdal - Bleak House (1968)
Terje Rypdal - After the Rain (1976)
Terje Rypdal, Miroslav Vitous & Jack DeJohnette - S/T (1979)
Terje Rypdal - Descendre (1980)
Terje Rypdal, Miroslav Vitous & Jack DeJohnette - To Be Continued (1981)
Ketil Bjørnstad, David Darling, Terje Rypdal, & Jon Christensen - The Sea (1995) + The Sea II (1998)

Excellent second solo album from Norwegian guitarist Terje Rypdal. Abstract, dissonant, ambient jazz with overtones of dark, queasy psychedelia. "Electric Fantasy" is one of my all-time favorite tracks -- it just has this mysterious, haunting feel that's kinda beautiful, kinda dark, kinda trippy -- and I'd be perfectly happy listening to a two-hour-long version.

Track listing:
1. Keep It Like That - Tight
2. Rainbow
3. Electric Fantasy
4. Lontano II
5. Tough Enough

Silver bird is heading for the sun

Also listen to:

George Russell - Electric Sonata
for Souls Loved by Nature (1969)

John Taylor, Norma Winston,
& Kenny Wheeler - Azimuth (1977)

Jan Garbarek - Esoteric Circle (1969)

Got a request for more Jan Garbarek and Terje Rypdal, so I'm killing two birds with one stone. Esoteric Circle is my favorite Garbarek record, and Rypdal plays on it. Blammo. It's harder-edged, more full-on, dissonant, improv-heavy jazz than the softer ECM sound with which both would soon be associated -- expect pounding drums, screeching sax, and jagged guitar stabs. Produced by George Russell.

Track listing:
1. Traneflight
2. Rabalder
3. Esoteric Circle
4. Vips
5. SAS 644
6. Nefertite
7. Gee
8. Karin's Mode
9. Breeze Ending

There were swallows

You'll probably also like:

David Holland Quartet -
Conference of the Birds (1973)

Edward Vesala -
Nan Madol (1974)

Jan Garbarek - All Those Born with Wings (1986)

So far I've posted three albums on which (Norwegian saxophonist) Jan Garbarek performed, but not a single one of his many, many solo records. And while a better blogger might start you off with one of what are generally considered as his masterpieces -- Esoteric Circle, or Afric Pepperbird, for instance -- this is what I'm listening to right now, and it's my favorite of his post-early 70s material. It's a true solo record, in that he plays all of the instruments, including sax (of course), flute, keys, guitar, and percussion, and it has this sparse, haunting quality that's unlike anything else he's done.

6 tracks, titled "1st Piece" through "6th Piece".

White noise of forgetfulness

George Russell - Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature (1969)

Two extended avant-garde jazz workouts led by American pianist George Russell, and recorded in concert in 1969 (the "1968" on the cover refers to when the pieces were written.) Anxious and dynamic, with darkly psychedelic undertones. When my brain is overworked and full of numbers, this is how I relax. Includes early performances from future ECM heavyweights Terje Rypdal, Jan Garbarek and Jon Christensen.

Track listing:
1. Events 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
2. Events 7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Honesty

Ralph Towner - Solstice (1974)

More ECM excellence, this time from a four-piece group of ECM heavyweights -- saxophonist Jan Garbarek, keyboardist Eberhard Weber, drummer Jon Christensen, and guitarist/bandleader Ralph Towner. While much of Towner's work is placid and sparse, with Solstice, the full-band sound lends a welcome sense of dissonance and unrest to his compositions, leading to one of his most diverse, dynamic, and memorable outings.

Track listing:
1. Oceanus
2. Visitation
3. Drifting Petals
4. Nimbus
5. Winter Solstice
6. Piscean Dreams
7. Red and Black
8. Sand

Distant hills

David Darling - Cycles (1982)

To the five of you who care: Sorry I've been neglecting the ol' bloggy-blog. I have been spending my free time trying to finish recording what will be the first official album from my solo black metal project (of course I have a solo black metal project), and things like "writing half-assed blog posts about semi-obscure albums" have been pushed to the back-burner. OH NO.

But here I am, home, too tired to record, listening to some ECM, so, might as well slap together this incredible writeup. I've posted about cellist David Darling before; this is his second album, and it's definitely one of my all-time favorite ECM records. Saxophonist Jan Garbarek puts in a reliably sharp, emotive performance, and there's a little bit of sitar and tabla here and there, too, giving it a slightly exotic (ugh) feel. K, I'm done.

Track listing:
1. Cycle Song
2. Cycle One: Namaste
3. Fly
4. Ode
5. Cycle Two: Trio
6. Cycle Three: Quintet and Coda
7. Jessica's Sunwheel

Returning