Manu Katche - Playground

[GARussell]

For a number of years now my favorite ECM has been a Kenny Wheeler date with Michael Brecker called Double, Double You. I may have a new favorite now.

Manu (nee Emmanuel) Katche is a French (his family is from the Ivory Coast) drummer who has played with Joni Mitchell, Peter Gabriel and Jan Garbarek. His album from two years ago, Neighborhood, was named Album of the Year by Jazz Magazine in France.

He is now leading his own group, which went to New York this January to record Playground. The group consists of Mathias Eick on trumpet, Trygve Seim (!) on tenor and soprano saxes, and two former members of Tomasz Stanko's quartet, Marcin Wasilewski on piano and Slawomir Kurkiewicsz on bass. David Torn plays guitar on the first and last tracks of the album.

There are 12 tracks totalling 69 minutes. Most of my CDs have the best songs loaded at the front. I have read that the record companies do this so that people listening to the clips on the internet will form a good first impression. But I feel that the best tracks on Playground are the last half of the album.

All of the tunes are interesting and pleasant. Most but not all are somewhat mellow. Trygve Seim is not as cool as he is on other albums I have.

I suggest that you go to Amazon to listen to the samples. Amazon says: List Price $17.98; Their Price $13.97. I see that Amazon has coupled Playground with John Surman's The Places In Between, which I also highly recommended a couple of weeks ago.

I also see that Amazon has included Neighborhood in its list of the ECMs it is selling for $9.99.

The group will tour from September 25 through October 8 in Germany, Norway, Belgium and France. You European guys there might want to keep an eye out for this.

Highly recommended. 5 stars.

[tonym]

Hi GA. I have Neighbourhood and like it a lot. Don't love it.

I may get this new one because any album which features Wasilewski and Kurkiewicsz will have some beautiful moments and also replacing Garbarek might be a major strength as his playing has become somewhat 'mannered' over the years.

He does write nice tunes too! Thanks for the heads-up.

[GARussell]

Tony, I share your enthusiasm for Wasilewski! After I posted my review, it occurred to me that I should have put an exclamation point after his name as well as Seim's.

[kh1958]

I bought this today at Borders, and I must say it is making a very positive impression on first listen.

[GA Russell]

Hi GA. I have Neighbourhood and like it a lot...

Tony, on your recommendtion I picked up Neighbourhood from BMG using one of Aggie's $2.79 codes. Haven't had a chance to play it yet.

Speaking of Wasilewski, I hope that everyone has seen the thread on his latest, January. It's a winner!

[Lazaro Vega]

"Clubbing" on Playground methinks is "Cherokee."

[kh1958]

I found his new one, Third Round to be overall disappointing, only two or three songs I liked--a blander group than on Playground and less distinctive compositions.