The "six degrees of separation" factor seems to apply as well to ECM jazz musicians as it does to Kevin Bacon -- you need only look through a few of these discographies to notice the extensive level of collaboration and cross-participation engaged in by those who record for the label. One of the nice synchronicities found across the :rarum series is a tendency by the artists to select tracks that provide a sense of their work in totality, rather than merely including virtuosic show-stoppers and "hits". Instead, these releases emphasize musical substance and stylistic variety -- a "rare" approach for a compilation series indeed!

Eberhard Weber
Bassist Eberhard Weber has been recording on ECM for over thirty years. During that time, he has worked with many of the label's significant artists, including Ralph Towner, Pat Metheny, Jan Garbarek and Gary Burton. For his :rarum disc, the bassist includes several tracks from other people's records to which he has contributed, as well as material from his own solo albums.

One of Weber's specialties is playing arco (bowed) upright bass; his fluid soloing in this vein has an almost vocal quality. This talent is brought to the fore on "Oasis", an incandescent duet with Pat Metheny from Metheny's 1977 album Watercolors. On "The Whopper", taken from Gary Burton's 1976 recording Passengers, Weber trades bass licks with Steve Swallow; despite the presence of two bassists, the texture never seems swamped by low end frequencies. Instead, Swallow and Weber engage in an intricate, balletic interplay of exchanging roles. "Closing Scene", on the other hand, is a solo piece from Weber's 1979 album Pendulum. Here he displays an encyclopedic array of bass-playing techniques and formidable virtuosity.

Weber's arrangements have a lot more going on than just bass-playing. "Fluid Rustle", from the 1979 album of the same name, features a chorus of overdubbed women's voices, as well as some very tasteful playing from both vibraphonist Gary Burton and guitarist Bill Frisell. "French Diary", from the 2000 album Endless Days, is an instrumental composition of considerable poignancy. Weber is ably seconded by English horn-player Paul McCandless, pianist Rainer Bruninghaus and drummer Michael DiPasqua.

Only one thing left me unsatisfied with this :rarum CD: it made me realize that I need to buy a lot of Eberhard Weber recordings if I want to fill the gaping holes in my record collection.

Tomasz Stanko
Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko has released some beautiful music of late -- he has been working with a hot young quartet of Polish jazz musicians for the past couple of years. His 2002 recording Soul of Things introduced this group to the ECM roster. This spring, the label is releasing the quartet's second CD, Suspended Night. Sadly, none of Stanko's work with his latest quartet made it onto his :rarum disc, but that disappointment is offset by what is here: performances with many top-notch veterans in recordings dating from 1975-1998.

In the liner notes that accompany this release, Stanko insightfully remarks on two characteristics of his music: the unified nature of his compositions and their direction, from chaos to order and from fury to lyricism. Both of these statements are amply demonstrated by the material here. Whether Stanko is performing "Tale" in 1975 with Dave Holland and Edward Vesala, or "Quintet's Time" in 1998 with John Surman and Dino Saluzzi, his music retains a highly individual sound. Stylistically, it encompasses both traditional and modern facets of the jazz tradition, but it also contains wisps of European folk music. Stanko's approach to the trumpet itself is highly idiosyncratic: his playing is at turns warm and aggressive, and he can shift from "fury to lyricism" on a dime. There is something vocal, too, about Stankos's solos; they sigh, sob, shout, caterwaul and even laugh with a visceral engagement that is striking.

While unified artistic vision lends a certain seamlessness to Stanko's :rarum disc, certain highlights must be mentioned. "Balladyna", the title track of the eponymous 1975 album, features tenor saxophonist Tomasz Szukalski, as well as Holland and Vesala, in a slow and ruminative composition that seems to combine the smoky flavor of a late-night club gig with a wistful folk melody. "Sleep Safe and Warm", a piece from Krzysztof Komeda's score for the film Rosemary's Baby, is given an affecting duo interpretation by Stanko and pianist Bobo Stenson, taken from the 1997 Litania album.

Another great Stanko quartet, featuring Stenson, bassist Anders Jormin and drummer Tony Oxley, is featured on "Cain's Brand", a fiery number from 1994's Matka Joanna from the Angels (another record that I must track down). As the title suggests, there is an edge to the playing here. Stanko's solo includes both stratospheric yawps and dazzlingly fast runs.

Pat Metheny
Although he has recorded primarily for other labels since the mid-1980s, guitarist Pat Metheny got his start at ECM, recording as a sideman for Gary Burton and making his first record as a leader in 1975 for the imprint. In addition, he developed the Pat Metheny Group's sound in a series of pivotal releases on ECM from 1978-1984. Material from both PMG albums and Metheny projects with other musicians comprise this :rarum volume.

From the very opening notes of "Bright Size Life", the title track from Metheny's 1975 debut, you'll be struck by youthful vigor coupled with a decidedly un-youthful assuredness of playing. The guitarist is joined by drummer Bob Moses and bassist Jaco Pastorius (now sorely missed), whose performance here is nothing short of brilliant.

A live version of "Airstream" serves as a nice representation of the Pat Metheny Group's sound circa 1979; Metheny mentions his preference for this rendition over the studio recording in his copious liner notes. Memorable Group performances of "Phase Dance", "It's for You" and the "First Circle" are also present.

While the early PMG tracks are enjoyable to hear again, the recordings of Metheny in other performance contexts provide the most interest here. They demonstrate his versatility as a jazz musician, a trait that is easy to forget in the face of the sheer volume of post-fusion releases bearing Metheny's name. "Everyday (I Thank You)", from Metheny's 80/81 record, features tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Jack DeJohnette. This quartet creates fulsome improvisations that combine some of the flavor of Metheny's work with straight-ahead jazz sensibilities. Even more traditional is Metheny's rendition of the Horace Silver tune "Lonely Woman", which first appeared on his 1983 album Rejoicing. The guitarist performs the tune on acoustic, and is joined by Haden and drummer Billy Higgins. Its laid-back swing, almost Americana in style, presages later Metheny and Haden roots music-influenced collaborations.

Jack DeJohnette
When you think of drummer Jack DeJohnette, you'd be forgiven for immediately considering his series of trio releases with Keith Jarrett and Gary Peacock and not getting much further. After all, there is such a wealth of material there that it is easy to forget that DeJohnette has also been involved in a number of other ECM projects. In addition to appearing on other artists' records, he has released a number of recordings as a leader. His :rarum CD focuses on this material rather than the Jarrett/Peacock/DeJohnette recordings, which are celebrated in another volume of the series.

"Third World Anthem" is an energetic composition from the Jack DeJohnette Special Edition's 1984 Album Album. A fusion of free jazz and elements of world music, this is a jubilant piece, featuring solid sax-work by John Purcell and David Murry, virtuosic tuba (you don't often hear those two words used together) from Howard Johnson and Rufus Reid playing bass.

"Overture -- Communion" is from the 1971 duo release by Jarrett and DeJohnette, Ruta and Daitya. Jarrett plays a forlorn electric piano introduction, which is followed by more aggressive (and distorted) funk-fusion interplay with DeJohnette. "How's Never", from the 1994 album Homecoming, represents the drummer's work with Gateway, his trio with guitarist John Abercrombie and bassist Dave Holland. DeJohnette fills the background with propulsive polyrhythms while Abercrombie and Holland both layer hard-driving riffs on top; this is jazz rock at its finest!

Abercrombie and DeJohnette team up with bassist Eddie Gomez and trumpeter Lester Bowie on "Silver Hollow", a track from DeJohnette's 1978 album New Directions. Instead of drums, DeJohnette plays piano on this track, demonstrating his lovely pianistic style, filled with colorful harmonies and impressionistic textures. "Picture 6", from the 1976 album Pictures, also features his both his percussion and piano work; DeJohnette overdubs all of the parts on this expansively lyrical composition.

-- Christian Carey