Universal Syncopations

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Performed by

Miroslav Vitous

Jan Garbarek

Chick Corea

Jack Dejohnette

John McLaughlin

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8 votes

My Favorite Albums: 2003 (25 items)
list by Nusch

Published 2 years, 1 month ago

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Jan Garbarek Discography (72 items)
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Published 15 years, 8 months ago

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Description: Recorded between March 2000 and March 2003, the highly lyrical and rhythmically engaging Universal Syncopations has all the hallmarks of an ECM classic-in-the-making. Playing pizzicato throughout and contributing (or cocontributing) all the compositions, Miroslav Vitous, the great Czech bassist and cofounder of Weather Report, is joined by some of the finest musicians of the past few decades, who have done much to create the landscape of contemporary jazz: Jan Garbarek, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin and Jack DeJohnette. Vitous and Garbarek have recorded together twice before on ECM, on the 1991 Star and 1993 Atmos, and their melo Recorded between March 2000 and March 2003, the highly lyrical and rhythmically engaging Universal Syncopations has all the hallmarks of an ECM classic-in-the-making. Playing pizzicato throughout and contributing (or cocontributing) all the compositions, Miroslav Vitous, the great Czech bassist and cofounder of Weather Report, is joined by some of the finest musicians of the past few decades, who have done much to create the landscape of contemporary jazz: Jan Garbarek, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin and Jack DeJohnette. Vitous and Garbarek have recorded together twice before on ECM, on the 1991 Star and 1993 Atmos, and their melodic and dynamic empathy is a major feature here. Both contribute some of the strongest, most jazz-oriented work they have recorded for many a year, with DeJohnette's multi-directional stimulation enhanced on occasion by some urgently spun lines from McLaughlin and dabs of both rhythmic contrast and complementary colour from Corea.

The album opens and closes with now-nudging, now-floating trio reflections from the leader, Garbarek and DeJohnette. In between, Vitous and DeJohnette duet on "Medium" while three tracks, including the 10-minute, shape-shifting odyssey that is "Univoyage", feature judicious moments of harmonic and rhythmic punctuation from a brass ensemble of Wayne Bergeron, Valerie Ponomarev and Isaac Smith. Such a diversity of arrangements also includes a deliciously relaxed "Tramp Blues", the more abstracted Vitous/Garbarek/DeJohnette meditation of "Beethoven" and superb Vitous/Garbarek/Corea/DeJohnette interplay on the alternately flowing and fiery quartet pieces "Sun Flower" and "Miro Bop".

For all such diversity, the album is very much an integrated whole. Thirty years ago, when Vitous's ground-breaking 1969 Infinite Search (which featured McLaughlin and DeJohnette) was reissued on Atlantic, sleeve-note writer Michael Cuscuna observed, "Being a virtuoso of the bass, Miroslav constructs and develops the music around his instrument. But he uses it as the focal point with grace and taste, never with burdensome over-indulgence." Such words are equally applicable to Universal Syncopations--an album of maturely conceived, deeply satisfying music, where compositional character and improvisational finesse remain in fructifying balance from first note to last. --Michael Tucker

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Manufacturer: Ecm
Release date: 3 November 2003
Number of discs: 1
EAN: 0044003850620 UPC: 044003850620

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Nusch added this to a list 2 years ago

My Favorite Albums: 2003 (25 music items)

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