Jan Garbarek: Paths: Prints

ECM 1223 Date: 81-12-??

Jan Garbarek Tenor and soprano saxes
Bill Frisell Guitar
Eberhard Weber Bass
John Christensen Drums, percussion

Tracks:

The Path (7:11)
Footprints (10:06)
Kite Dance (5:35)
To B.E. (3:10)
The Move (6:39)
Arc (5:01)
Considering The Snail (6:30)
Still (6:18)

Paths, Prints begins with a mournful sax theme (but don't all Garbarek albums start that way?:-) underlaid by Frisell's gossamer guitar chimes and sonorous Weber bass notes. And that pretty much sets the pattern for the whole album; but what a lovely pattern it is. This is music that leaves plenty of open spaces, where the other musicians weave delicate strands around Garbarek's folky themes.

Standout track for me is Footprints. Here, a simple flute theme over talking drums is gradually joined by more Frisell chiming. After this has more or less worked itself out, the flute is replaced by sax playing the original theme - quite a haunting moment. Even at its noisiest, there's still a lot of open space here. Eventually, the music dies down, with the sax fading out over a continuous chorus-pedal-soaked Weber bass drone.

Recommended.

(Go to Jan Garbarek album list)