Elsewhere: Jazzing about on elusive label

By GRAHAM REID

The ECM label is now almost 35 years old, has released almost 1000 albums, and launched a contemporary classical offshoot with the ECM New Series from which saxophonist Jan Garbarek and the Hiliard Ensemble's huge- selling Officium sprang.


ECM set a standard for production quality in jazz on albums which came in austere and arty covers, as distinctive in their own way as Reid Miles' designs for Blue Note in the 50s and 60s.


Given their profile and popularity, you'd think it would be reasonably easy to get hold of ECM albums then, but in this country they have bounced around on distribution deals between big companies (PolyGram in the old days), on an import-only basis and smaller independent distributors. Until recently they were distributed by Global Routes, now they are through the resurrected Ode.


It's almost seemed ECM albums were either too hot to handle (that can't be it, they are often ineffably cool) or there simply wasn't a buck in these high-quality and high-price albums which most jazz aficionados had to buy unheard and on good faith. Few promotional copies were supplied to distributors - some companies asked for them back from reviewers to pass on to others or simply sell - so punters had to somehow tap into the ether to find out what had been released. The internet has helped, and Ode seem keen to give their new signing a push.


So given ECM have made some cornerstone jazz albums down the decades, let's scan some new releases from a label which has become used to making its Grammy appointments a year in advance.