Neighbourhood

Artist: Manu Katche
Label: Ecm Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 602498698150
EAN: 0602498698150
ASIN: B000A32KJQ

Release Date: 2005-09-13

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Avant Garde & Free Jazz

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Tracks:

November 99
Number One
Lullaby
Good Influence
February Sun
No Rush
Lovely Walk
Take Off And Land
Miles Away
Rose

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Customer Reviews:

Pleasant music but..........2006-11-03

This group can't really decide what they want. The influence of Jan Garbarek changes the tonal quality of the songs. When he is playing they are less subdued which isn't necessarily a good thing.The pianist is outstanding as is the percussionist thus the 4 stars.

Laid Back Jazz .......2006-06-07

"Neighbourhood" by Manu Katche, with Jan Garbareck, Tomasz Stanko, Marcin Wasilewski and Slawomir Kurkiewicz - 2005, ECM Label.

Drummer, Manu Katche, has been making a name for himself as one of the world's better drummers. That may be a matter of opinion but I confess I do like him pretty much. I would describe his style as `soft-spoken'. I first heard the cut "February Sun" from this CD on Cable Radio before I ordered it. I love the Scandinavian Jazz genre from the ECM label so when I saw the incredible artists accompanying Katche, ordering this CD was a no-brainer for me.

This CD is a bit of a departure from the typical ECM album. This is an easy album to listen to, maybe a little too easy for some. The music is quiet, moody, melodic and perhaps not-very-challenging for some of you. When my wife first heard a few cuts, she said "that's nice music". She hates avant guard jazz so that should give you an idea just how smooth this CD is.

Some negative reviewers complained that this CD was nothing more than smooth jazz but that misses the mark. There's more here than just smooth jazz. Jan Garbareck, Tomasz Stanko and Marcin Wasilewski on piano keep it interesting enough. Manu Katche's drumming is quite good and he manages to stay out of the way of the other musicians. I like bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz playing on this CD as well. The group as a whole reminds me a bit of the Swedish group E.S.T.

If you can imagine, Jan Garbareck, and Tomasz Stanko, playing with E.S.T. then you can imagine what the group sounds like. Those two horn players do some really nice work together and are worth the price of the CD alone.

My modest system (hybrid tube-integrated and MMG speakers) gives a very nice sweet presentation of this type of music. It's detailed enough to bring Katche's percussion forward and give the horns a biting presence. Plus it does a fantastic job of realistically imaging small jazz groups like this.

I recommend the CD for those that want a laid back change of pace, especially if you're a Jan Garbareck, and/or Tomasz Stanko fan.

Smooth Jazz Aaaaa... NO!!!!!.......2006-05-02

EMC, a label known for polished recording and production fails on this bum production. Listen to any sample and try to remember that this is an EMC release, and I'm not a huge fane of the label, but this music is what they should play for recovering cancer patients in the hospital. Plane and simple, this music sucks, and that's coming from a mid-twenties musician with 3,000 jazz recordings -K.

Excellent, Just Excellent.......2006-04-16

I am a Tomasz Stanko fan. I tried this CD on a whim since Tomasz was playing on it. I absolutley love it. A very beautiful CD that is very pleasing to my ear. Wonderful, slow, rhythmic melodies. One of my all time favorite Jazz CD's and I have ~ 1500 of them.

a dissapointment, with a few redeeming qualities.......2006-02-28

while i'm not that familiar with a lot of katche's work, when i saw the personnel on this disc i happily plunked down my money. stanko and 2 of his young trio and jan garbarek? how could i go wrong?

obviously, quite wrong. this may be the best smooth jazz album ever made. however, if you don't like smooth jazz, that isn't saying much.

it's katche, really, that ruins this album. a previous reviewer referred to this music as "light." very true. but it's also harmonically and rhythmically simplistic, giving no challenges to the improvisers whatsoever. it's handcuffing, relegating a great young bassist's baselines to ostinato "grooves" that go nowhere.

stanko tries to break out a bit, playing a few of his trademark "whisper to a scream" lines, but they don't fit in this unimaginative, "smooth" music. wasieleski's usual brilliant uses of free rhythm are locked into adult contemporary grooves.

at times, katche hangs back and lets the rest of the group shine a bit, which keeps this from being a 1 star album. but basically, it's easy listening, something you can put on when your friends who think dave sanborn is jazz come over for dinner.

this comes a such a dissapointment because of the quality of the players, and i sincerely hope no one who buys this record is hearing stanko and his young cohorts for the first time, as it shows none of their true talents and personality. do yourself a favor and check out "suspended night" or "soul of things."

i know garbarek (whose vast output is all over the map, sometimes great) has recorded with katche quite a bit in recent years, and his "in praise of dreams," (which i admittedly haven't heard)was similarly panned as being overly "smooth" by many. this is a shame, as he is a great artist who should be recognized for his achievements, not this misstep.

stanko fans beware.

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