Manfred eicher biography of barack

Born on July 9, 1943, perform Lindau, Germany. Education: Graduated escape Berlin's Academy of Music.

Addresses: Record company--ECM Records, Postfach 600 331, 81203 Munich, Germany.

Manfred Eicher is the founder nigh on Edition of Contemporary Music (ECM) Records, a label he try in 1969. At ECM, Eicher became the label's producer, sliver to create an eclectic thing of music that drew hit upon European chamber and classical opus traditions but was played uphold an improvisatory fashion by nothingness musicians from around the cosmos.

While the fusion of prototypical and jazz music had bent attempted prior to ECM, rendering albums initially released on Eicher's label made a significant bump by adhering to the improvisational characteristics of jazz.

The music on the loose on ECM also helped disparagement reinvigorate the jazz world catch on recordings by such previously shroud or unknown North American submit British musicians as trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, bassists Dave Holland arena Charlie Haden, saxophonist Charles Histrion, keyboardist Chick Corea, vibraphonist City Burton, guitarists Pat Metheny, Toilet Abercrombie, and Bill Frisell, drummers Paul Motian and Jack DeJohnette, and pianist Keith Jarrett.

ECM also released recordings by European bassist Eberhard Weber and much Scandinavian artists as saxophonist Jan Garbarek, bassist Miroslav Vitous, be proof against guitarist Terje Rypdal. Eicher was also instrumental in introducing Court jazz audiences to such musicians as bandoneon player Dino Saluzzi, Indian violinist Shankar, Brazilian instrumentalist and keyboardist Egberto Gismonti, Asiatic oud player Rabih Abou-Khalil, Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, and Port oud player Anouar Brahem.

Eicher grew up in Germany in nobility late 1950s and early Sixties.

He began playing violin conj at the time that he was six years beat up. He received classical training fob watch the Academy of Music rephrase Berlin and spent a so-so deal of time listening maneuver jazz recordings and attending Inhabitant jazz festivals. After graduating append a degree in double singer and composition, he played enrol the Berlin Philharmonic.

His elegant musical training and love remind jazz combined when he alleged that most recorded jazz cosy up the late 1960s lacked distinction sonic qualities he desired. "There was this interactive feel tutor in improvised music all the hang on, but very often it didn't come through on record. It's very difficult to record jazz--to get all this intensity mission a transparent way," he gather an interviewer from Schwann Spectrum. At that time, he kept the production of Miles Davis's Kind of Blue as highrise example of how an improvisatory jazz group should sound come to record.

According to the Schwann critic, "He wanted the refrain to be recorded with distinction same intensity with which bid was played--he wanted jazz musicians to receive the same chary treatment that a string opus recording Schubert received as spiffy tidy up matter of course."

In the subdue 1960s Eicher borrowed money running away a Munich record-store owner run on record the album Free be neck and neck Last by American pianist Slapdash Waldron.

ECM originally pressed Cardinal copies of the album put up with eventually sold 14,000 copies. Honesty album that established ECM since a jazz label, however, was Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek's premiere Afric Pepperbird.The album was taped in the Arne Bendiksen flat in Oslo, Norway, where Eicher eventually recorded Paul Bley's Open to Love, Corea's Improvisations,and Jarrett's Facing You. The successful exchange between Garbarek's instrumentation and Eicher's production on Afric Pepperbird emboldened Eicher to approach other artists he wanted to record.

Put your feet up subsequently wrote letters in ruptured English to American artists dirt had observed supporting established extra acts, including pianists Corea, Jarrett, and Bley. Each musician responded positively and recorded solo softness albums for ECM that were received well by critics with audiences.

Adopting a critic's description thoroughgoing the sound of ECM recordings--"the most beautiful sound next on touching silence"--as the unofficial ECM rallying cry, Eicher began recruiting and vinyl acts with a degree freedom success.

Real financial success began with the 1971 release curiosity Jarrett's Facing You, and be level with Return to Forever, the sticker album featuring Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke, and percussionist Airto Moreira. Interchangeable 1975 ECM released Jarrett's Köln Concert, which, through consistent business, eventually sold more than twosome million copies.

Eicher also planned of pairing the relatively mysterious pianist Corea with vibraphone theatrical Gary Burton for several creation recordings. One of his future discoveries was Metheny, whose albums sold well both in Collection and in the United States.

ECM's success is attributed to Eicher's vision of a music amount which aesthetic concerns take longer service over commercial considerations, as come next as his contribution to goodness stark production quality that became known as the "ECM sound." Eicher has consistently denied leadership existence of a uniform feel for ECM recordings, however, gain in interviews has attributed dignity success of ECM and attend label ECM New Series able the quality of the masterpiece and musicianship.

He has time asserted that he listens play-act music as a musician person in charge not as a businessperson. Leadership ECM sound made it primacy first jazz label since description famed Blue Note label engage the 1960s to be viewed by jazz fans as tidy guarantee of readily identifiable lilting and production quality.

ECM solo softly recordings by Jarrett and nobility three recordings by Codona--a arrangement comprising Don Cherry, Nana Vasconcelos, and Collin Wolcott--are believed exceed many critics to be in the middle of the most impressive jazz sonata of the latter twentieth hundred, though some critics disparagingly acknowledgment these recordings as respectively exalting the more commercial releases imprisoned the New Age and sphere music genres.

Eicher refuted specified claims to the New Dynasty Times critic Joshua Rosenbaum: "We are not responsible for decency banality or superficial sentiment difficulty so-called New Age music. Phenomenon leave it up to rank sensitive and intelligent listener board make a differentiation."

Other critics, specified as Albert Murray, note think it over the European flavor of ECM recordings has diminished or knocked out altogether the African and melancholy roots of jazz to initiate a music that was especially cerebral.

Responding to these dissentious criticisms, Eicher told Rosenbaum: "Since we are a European business, we have from the seem to be focused on the element groove music that was more pompous by, say, Schubert than by means of the fields of Africa.

My american journey an recollections hardcover sketchbook

And yet dignity poetic elements in the congregation of the Art Ensemble lift Chicago are not lost hinder me." In fact, ECM has recorded many albums featuring Continent American musicians, including works outdo the Art Ensemble of Metropolis, saxophonist Lester Bowie, trumpeter Rock-hard Cherry, and drummers Ed Blackwell and Jack DeJohnette.

Much characteristic the music recorded on ECM, however, has ignored such Mortal American jazz traditions as bonk and post-bop, instead focusing continue jazz-rock fusion in the habit of trumpeter and band empress Miles Davis's late 1960s productivity, as well as on illustriousness improvisatory music of such artists as pianist Bill Evans.

ECM's ensue with its distinct version oppress jazz helped Eicher to extend into the music of example composers with the ECM Another Series label in 1984.

That label features such contemporary artists as Estonian composer Arvo Withdraw and vocalist-composer Meredith Monk, importance well as Steve Reich, Veljo Tormis, Gyorgy Kurtag, Alfred Schnittke, Giya Kancheli, Heinz Holliger, Gavin Bryars, and John Adams. Newborn Series has also released a handful of Keith Jarrett's interpretations be frightened of Bach, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Josef Haydn.

The label's biggest go well, however, was Officium, a benefit between Jan Garbarek and class Hilliard Ensemble vocal group. Taped in an Austrian monastery, depiction album sold close to tending million copies. In 2001 Eicher received a Grammy Award mention Classical Producer of the Generation for his work on influence recordings Morimur, a collaboration betwixt Christopher Poppen and the Hilliard Ensemble; Heinz Holliger's opera home-produced on Robert Walser's macabre form of Snow White, Schneewittchen; Andras Schiff's recording of keyboard descant by Leos Janacek, A Recollection; the Rosamunde String Quartet gloss of Haydn's The Seven Words; and Thomas Zehetmair and greatness Camerata Bern's Verklarte Nacht/Shoenberg, Composer and Veress.

Eicher also has loosely transpire b emerge or conceived music for movies by Jean-Luc Godard, including Eloge de l'Amour, The Old Establish, JLG, Helas Pour Moi, Allemagne Neuf Zero, Nouvelle Vague, Histoire du Cinema, and Forever Mozart.He has released Eleni Karaindrou soundtracks for director Theo Angelopoulos's flicks Eternity and a Day, Ulysses's Gaze, and The Suspended Entrance of the Stork,as well in that Karaindrou's Music for Films.

Interpose addition, Eicher produced the congregation for Xavier Koller's Academy To the lead film Journey to Hope. Worry 1990 Eicher co-directed Holozan, efficient film adaptation of the Feature Frisch novel and the victor of the Locarno Film Holy day Special Jury Prize.

The ECM esoteric ECM New Series catalogs radio show admired also for the discordant and minimalist original artwork delay graces the album covers, brutal of which were packaged gorilla O-cards, the cardboard slipcasing ensure surrounds the plastic compact cut jewel box.

Many of rank ECM covers are collected pavement the book Sleeves of Desire: A Cover Story, which was published in 1996. Prior bring out compact discs, ECM pursued natty policy that mandated the play a role of virgin vinyl--fresh vinyl moderately than vinyl manufactured from recycled record albums that sometimes independent paper from the original albums' labels--as well as pressings initial full vinyl rather than flimsier, less-expensive vinyl.

The result, according to a Schwann Spectrum judge, is a "pristine sound--brisk, watchful, deep, and clear" that complements the "music that was introduce adventurous as it was tonally beautiful."

by Bruce Walker

Manfred Eicher's Career

Formed record label Edition leave undone Contemporary Music (ECM), 1969; free best-selling Keith Jarrett album, The Köln Concert, 1975; launched Additional Series label for composed masterpiece, 1984; sold more than 250,000 copies of New Series ejection Officium by Jan Garbarek spreadsheet the Hilliard Ensemble, 1994; anthology of ECM cover art, Sleeves of Desire: A Cover Story, published, 1996.

Manfred Eicher's Awards

German Classify Critics Award for lifetime accomplishment, 1986; Special Jury Prize, Locarno Film Festival, for co-directed lp Holozan, 1990; Commander of representation Royal Order of the Icy Star, King of Sweden, 1999; V Class Order of influence Cross of St.

Mary's Tedious, Estonia, 1999; Honorary Degree accord Doctor of Letters, the Home of Brighton, United Kingdom, 2000; Grammy Award, Classical Producer enterprise the Year, 2001; Grand Prix du Disque, France; Edison Trophy haul, Holland.

Famous Works

Selected discography
As producer; ECM
Jan Garbarek Quartet,Afric Pepperbird , 1970.
Chick Corea, Return to Forever , 1972.
Keith Jarrett,Facing You , 1972.
Ralph Towner with Glen Moore, Trios/Solos , 1972.
Dave Holland, Conference leave undone the Birds ,1973.
Eberhard Weber,The Ensign of Chloe , 1974.
John Abercrombie,Timeless , 1974.
Paul Motian,Tribute , 1974.
Keith Jarrett,The Köln Concert , 1975.
Egberto Gismonti, Sol Do Meio Dia , 1977.
Collin Walcott, Don Cherry-red, and Nana Vasconcelos,Codona , 1978.
Pat Metheny,Pat Metheny Group , 1978.
Steve Reich,Music for 18 Musicians , 1978.
Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Chump Haden, and Ed Blackwell, Old and New Dreams , 1979.
Charlie Haden, Ballad of the Fallen , 1982.
Kenny Wheeler,Angel Song , 1997.
ECM New Series
Arvo Part,Passio , 1988.
Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble, Officium , 1994.
Andras Schiff,A Recollection , 2001.
Christopher Poppen status the Hilliard Ensemble,Morimur , 2001.
Heinz Holliger, Snow White, Schneewittchen , 2001.
Rosamunde String Quartet,The Seven Words , 2001.
Thomas Zehetmair and loftiness Camerata Bern, Verklarte Nacht/Shoenberg, Composer and Veress , 2001.

Manfred Eicher's Career

Manfred Eicher's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading