Rock packages its past in compilations and calls them The Best Of or Greatest Hits. Jazz, being pretentious, calls such albums Works and issues them in limited editions, selling the product through an artificial scarcity. But if such ploys do have the result of getting people to listen to the likes of Towner and Gismonti, and then seeking out the original albums from which these selections were drawn, so much the better.
Unfortunately, though, the choice of tracks on both albums is unimaginative. Towner’s half dozen are taken from only three of his 11 ECM albums, substituting two solo pieces from the less than inspiring Blue Sun collection for more obvious choices from the sublime Solo Concert set, and ignoring his duo albums with John Abercrombie; Gismonti’s six suffer similar comparisons, a contribution from his solo set Dança Das Cabeças being sorely missed.
But both albums do give a good idea of what these two highly cerebral musicians are about. Towner is self-taught on piano and classically trained on guitar while Gismonti is the exact opposite. Both have learnt to combine formal structures with improvised passages, Towner laying down supple pizzicato runs, Gismonti allying his formidable technique to a more overtly rhythmic drive. Such is the choice of tracks though that it is often the sidesmen who steal the show, Garbarek on Towner’s Oceanus and Nimbus, Walcott and Vasconcelos on Gismonti’s Raga. Gismonti suffers particularly in this respect.
If a dip rather than a complete immersion is what you are after, stop here. You will be helping celebrate ECM’s 15th birthday – may they never lose their nerve.
Discography
TOWNER
Oceanus (a); Blue Sun (b); New Moon (c) (25.36) – Beneath An Evening Sky (d); The Prince And The Sage (b); Nimbus (a) (19.47)
Ralph Towner (12-string g/classical g/p/syn/pc) with: (a) Jan Garbarek (ts): Eberhard Weber (b/clo); Jon Christensen (d/pcl; (b) solo; (c) Kenny Wheeler (t/flh); Eddie Gomez (b); Michael DiPasqua (d/pc); David Darling (clo); (d) David Darling (clo). Recorded (a) December 74, (b) December 82, (c&d) July 79, Oslo.
(ECM 823 268-1)
GISMONTI
Loro (a); Raga (b); Ciranda Nordestina (c) (24.18) – Magico (d); Maracatu (a); Salvador (c) (22.39)
Egberto Gismonti (p/8-string g/cooking bells) with: (a) Mauro Senise (fl); Zeca Assumpcao (b); Nene (d/pcl; Nana Vasconcelos (pc); Collin Walcott (tabla); (c) solo; (d) Jan Garbarek (sps); Charlie Haden (b). Recorded (a) November 80, (b) November 77, (c) November 78, (d) June 79, Oslo.
(ECM 823 269-1)
