An all-star band unites and reunites key musicians from ECM's past and present. Between them, the great Czech bassist Miroslav Vitous, Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, American pianist Chick Corea, British guitarist John McLaughlin and American drummer Jack DeJohnette have shaped the nature of contemporary jazz.
When producer Manfred Eicher and Miroslav Vitous began discussing this project - Miroslav's first ECM date for a decade - one of the conceptual models was Vitous' very first leader recording, 1969's 'Infinite Search'. That historic landmark featured Vitous, McLaughlin and DeJohnette alongside Joe Henderson and Herbie Hancock. The new disc embodies the spirit of that era while also seeming thoroughly contemporary.
The purity of the music is perhaps its most striking characteristic. It has the freshness of discovery about it. This quality links it to the era when these stars-in-the-making were all still in the process of discovering their voices.
Miroslav Vitous, a founding member of Weather Report, has always been one of the truly outstanding bassists of jazz. His command of the instrument is total and thoroughly showcased on the new CD, which Vitous insists is his very finest. He plays the foreground as much as the background - majestically. The production, exceptional even by ECM's standards, reflects this.
One of the great pleasures of the session is hearing Jan Garbarek once again unambiguously playing jazz. His inventive, soaring playing recalls his best work with Jarrett's 'Belonging'. Just hear him play the blues, its fantastic - we've not heard him do this for so long - and so well.
The John McLaughlin we experience recalls the pre-Mahavishnu player, back when he was being hailed as the most significant European jazz guitarist since Django Reinhardt. Beautiful playing from Chick Corea, too, both as soloist and as a pianist giving impulses to the others - flashbacks to the days when he played behind Miles. And Jack DeJohnette remains the most endlessly versatile of drummers, bringing something new to every moment.