ECM: The quintessential European jazz label. Part 5: The big one

ECM Part 5: The big one

By Mike Blackmore

Firstly let me explain the title to this edition of the series. This article is about the pianists and keyboard players who grace the ECM label. Of all the articles written so far this has proved the most difficult to prepare.

Now I hear you say “there is only one pianist”, on that ECM label, and in some respects you are right. From the day Keith Jarrett recorded the legendary Koln Concert it has at times seemed that way! I did of course touch on this in Part 1 and maybe it’s good to have a look again at what I said in that piece.

It is believed that total sales of that recording is somewhere around 3.5 to 4 million copies. Compare that to the jazz record best seller Miles Davis “Kind of Blue” at 6.4 million and third place Dave Brubeck Quartet “Time Out” with 2.5 million sales and you can see it was “a big one”!

I would love to ask Manfred Eicher if the profit from those sales have helped fund some of the future recordings on the label? It surely must have allowed Manfred to think big and expend both time and money on those lesser known more esoteric artists who record on the label!

Now we have dealt with the “elephant in the room” I can go on to say that this article is no different from the previous ones, in that, it’s more about who I have dared to leave out than who I include. Believe me there are so many great keyboard musicians who record on the label and this has made the article difficult to prepare.

So as always my apologies if I leave out someone you feel passionately about and wish to champion. My choice of artists, as ever, remains based on my personal tastes. Do get in touch and tell us what you think.

Before listing the artists that I would recommend and my favourite recordings, perhaps a brief look at the pianoforte and keyboards in the world of jazz?

Like the double bass (dealt with in Part 3) the piano is an instrument just as important in jazz as in classical music. Believed to be invented around 1700 in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori it was designed to replace the lovely but very quiet harpsichord.

The piano allowed the player to change the volume of playback from a soft to high volume by pressing the keys harder. Pressing a key makes a small wooden hammer hit a steel string.

During the introduction to a recent Prom concert, on the BBC, there was a debate as to whether a piano is a percussion instrument or a string instrument? It turns out its unique construction makes it both!

The inventor of jazz?

Back in the day Jelly Roll Morton was considered the first jazz pianist. Not shy in coming forward Jelly Roll claimed to have invented jazz which was then regarded as an amalgamation of ragtime and the blues.

Arguments about “all that jazz” go on and on. As to invention I am not sure. For what it is worth I personally take a more Darwinian approach to its birth.

Needless to say over the years there have been some remarkably famous and talented jazz pianists, some even crossing over from jazz to classical and vice a versa. Modern keyboard players are versed not only in the art of piano but electronic organ and synthesisers.

Against this rich background ECM has always been well supplied with jazz keyboard players who have graced this iconic label. A suffice of riches you might say so let’s begin with the obvious.

Keith Jarrett

It’s a case of who hasn’t heard of Keith Jarrett and that record. He is supposedly (and rightly) fed up with being permanently linked to it when he believes he has recorded much better records for the label. I’m sure that’s true but I’ve always loved The Koln Concert for what it is. A brilliant piece of improvised spontaneous music with innate joy and the ability to move me to tears.

Sure other of his many solo concerts may be technically more secure. But the whole point for me is given the background and circumstances of the performance and how life affirming the recording is. Sheer joy and one of my favourite records of all times.

I have a great number of his recordings as you might guess. I’ve already mentioned The Standards Trio recordings which I find myself returning to time after time. Let’s face it the man deserves a whole article on his output for the label which is in excess of 70 albums.

In respect of The European Quartet I do enjoy Personal Mountains from 1989. Finally have a listen to “The Melody at Night with You” released by ECM in 1999. Recorded in his home studio it features some lovely playing. Mixed reviews from the critics with some loving the intimacy and others deploring its simplicity. But that’s critics for you!

Following two strokes in 2018 there were no more performances or recordings. I was lucky to hear him live at the Royal Festival Hall when, as ever, he took umbrage at distractions emanating from the audience. A true maestro at work.

Jon Balke

Completely different from the above but very loved by me. Jon is a Norwegian pianist and composer who makes fascinating music solos and also with a number of groups/ensembles which include Siwan and also Magnetic North Orchestra. Both these ensembles are represented on ECM and they are worth checking out.

I personally became a fan following my exposure to his solo effort Warp (2014) which features his solo piano playing, keyboards and field recordings. For me the vibe is a bit “other worldly” different and perhaps an acquired taste!

His latest offering the 2025 Skrifum is in the same vein as Warp, but is perhaps even more compelling. I love the sparse and spacial sound of his piano augmented by keyboard and electronic sounds. Beautiful. Give it a go if you like something a bit different.

Tord Gustavsen

Another Norwegian but stylistically very different from Balke. This commercially successful pianist is a big hitter. His 2003 debut “Changing Places” album was the most successful ECM debut in a decade. He has gone on to record many other big selling albums since and, when you listen to his compositions, you can see why.

The aesthetic of his playing is restrained but at the same time emotionally intense in style. A beautiful player who is really complemented by the aesthetic of the ECM house sound. Really a match made in heaven.

You can’t go wrong with any of his ECM recordings but please start by listening to the debut Changing Places. I remember being very excited on first hearing this album. I felt a great talent had found its natural home.

I have copies of all his offerings but would also mention the 2012 “The Well” which saw him effortlessly expand his group to a quartet format. If you like beautiful approachable atmospheric piano jazz, on CD or Vinyl, you can’t go wrong.

Nik Bartsch

I’ll come clean right away. Nik is perhaps my favourite pianist on the ECM label. Given the overall quality of this keyboard selection that says a lot. My choice will be controversial give his style of playing and composition. He is really a marmite artist.

How to sum up his style of playing? That’s best left to the man himself. He describes his style of playing as “ritual groove music” or “zen funk”. I was drawn to the minimalist influences in the playing technique. A certain amount of repetition, followed by abrupt changes in pace and texture drew me in to the sound. I think for many the style will be an acquired taste, but what is not in doubt is the exemplarily standard of musicianship of Nik or his band Ronin.

Last year I was lucky enough to see Ronin at Ronnie Scott’s. This gig had been on my music wish list for some time. To say I was surprised and impressed is an understatement. The whole event was challenging and beautifully entertaining.

Which brings me on to Sha who I mentioned in my previous saxophone article. His sax playing matches Nik’s style brilliantly and I would advise you to have a listen to his solo outings and in particular to the amazing “Monbijou” album which was recorded during lockdown in 2021 inside the Monbijou box girder bridge in Bern. It really is a powerful solo recording of the first order but unfortunately not on the ECM label.

I can recommend all the ECM Ronin recordings from the debut “Stoa” in 2006 to “Awase” in 2018. Nik’s solo offering “Entendre” is also superb. As far as I’m concerned Nik Bartsch is a real force in contemporary jazz and his partnership with ECM a magic combination. Please have a listen.

Chick Corea

One time member of the Miles Davis band and an activist of the jazz fusion movement Chick Corea is on the ECM label! As early as 1970, he appeared in support on the label and in 1971 his splendid solo Piano Improvisations Vol. 1 & 2 became the launch pad for the catalog’s solo piano releases. I believe his playing was so good it influenced Manfred Eicher to think solo piano releases were a viable thing. Thank you for that Chick!

1972 saw the seminal ECM release of “Return to Forever” for his fusion band of the same name. If you’ve never listened to this album you have missed out on the start of a band that became so important to the world of jazz fusion.

Following this debut the subsequent band albums became heavier electronic affairs (notably on other jazz labels). Whilst listening to Chick’s ECM records please include some of my favourites. Check out “Children’s Song” in 1984 and “Crystal Silence” in 1972 with vibraphonist Gary Burton.

Bobo Stenson

Why have the Nordic countries produced so many great pianists? I can only assume during those dark winter nights they gravitate to the piano or the keyboards to compose dark (or light) and sometimes thickly detailed masterpieces?

Bobo is Swedish. Born in 1944 his piano trios are always worth seeking out. Unfortunately I’ve never seen him live but would love to. By all accounts his trio live performances are a paradigm of the spacious, lyrical and textured modern chamber jazz the ECM label is famous for. No wonder he has a special relationship with Manfred Eicher.

To be honest with so many great pianists on the label I’ve come late to the party with his recordings. I’m now making up for lost time and exploring his full back catalog. I had been aware of his contribution to the label but my purchase of the 2023 “Sphere” album made me realise what I had been missing. Featuring Bobo on piano, Anders Jormin (see below) on double bass and Jon Falt on drums, this album is a beautiful, lyrical, and atmospheric offering. Highly recommended so please have a listen.

Paul Bley

A Canadian pianist and composer and exponent of free jazz and the avant garde who had a long relationship with the label until his death in 2016. Innovative and a real mover and shaker in the world of modern jazz. He played with all the greats of his day and was an avid early adopter of the moog synthesiser in jazz playing.

As well as being an exponent of free jazz he could also play some beautiful lyrical piano. Have a listen to the beautiful live album “When Will The Blues Leave” (featuring Gary Peacock and Paul Motian) released three years after his death. A truly magnificent swan song in my view.

His work with one time wife Carla and partner Annette Peacock is also legendary. Please also check out the album “Fragments” which features a stellar lineup of top ECM artists all delighted to play with this top draw pianist.

Marilyn Crispell

An American classic trained pianist and composer again who is also an able exponent of free jazz. On ECM her work is lyrical and intimate in nature. I particularly like “Amaryllis” from 2001 and again Peacock and Motian as sidemen.

I must also mention her latest 2026 album “Memento”with Swedish bassist Anders Jormin. (Anders should have made the slot on the bass players article). It’s a lovely lyrical offering and a favourite of mine.

Jormin’s bowed bass is very atmospheric and compliments the somewhat sparse playing of Crispell. ECM at its most stark but also captivating and lyrical. Please give it a listen.

Other notable ECM keyboard players

I’m conscious of the amount of players I’ve already covered without completing my list I prepared before setting out this article. So other notable pianists to explore are, in no particular order, JOHN TAYLOR, JAN HAMMER, RICHIE BEIRACH, FRED HERSCH, JULIA HULSMANN, CRAIG TABORN and RAINER BRUNINGHAUS.

Please forgive their mere mention in this piece. If you explore any of the offerings from these pianists you will realise what a wide range of musical offerings ECM provides. As ever this article is just a mere taster to the ECM catalog of brilliant recordings and is very much a personal sojourn.

It must be such a great pleasure to have a really big collection of ECM recordings. My modest collection is very much based on my personal tastes, budget and preferences.

To collect the whole catalog, although most satisfying, would be oh so expensive, but in these days of streaming services it’s possible to satisfy one’s appetite for a reasonable regular monthly payment. Nevertheless as I have said before if you are into a particular artist it’s so satisfying to buy a CD or Vinyl. It really helps the artist and the label!

I know these days things are financially tight but for me money spent on music (whether live or recorded) is an investment in an art form that’s life affirming.

Next time

Something different. I intend to do another article on equipment for the Lowther Blog but rest assured I haven’t finished the ECM saga yet. More great artists and their contributions need to be documented so keep watching this space. Until then……..

Please keep listening

Mike Blackmore.