Winter Jazzfest—ECM Records Stage
The New School Tishman Auditorium
New York, NY
January 15 & 16, 2016

There's a very modern feel at the Tishman Auditorium at The New School University Center, the site for a two-night showcase for ECM Records at the 2016 Winter Jazzfest—with the Escher-esque stairs that you pass on the way in, the broad, open space of the stage, its huge screen backdrop, and the light blonde bamboo walls. You might think you were smack in the middle of an urban setting in central Europe instead of a block away from Union Square in Manhattan. The setting gave an appropriate flavor for a showcase of artists on the record label founded almost 50 years ago in Munich by Manfred Eicher under an abbreviation for "Edition of Contemporary Music." While artists on the label span an international range, the ECM musicians featured at the Winter Jazzfest were from its U.S. roster, many based in New York. They didn't seem picked out as a matter of convenience; it was a stellar group. At the outset of the first night, Sarah Humphries, ECM Vice President and emcee for the two shows, shared a quote—with a mix of pride and irony—from some advance notice about the concerts that appeared in Time Out New York : "The ECM Records Stage will be all the rage as it trots out visionaries galore culled from its jaw-dropping roster." Maybe a little hyperbole there, but not much—both nights were full of great music that fit perfectly in the edgy sensibility of the Winter Jazzfest.

The groupings of musicians were fairly traditional for the most part—quartets and quintets, with a trumpet and/or sax out in front of a rhythm section, along with trios and solo spots. All the music was from recently released or forthcoming ECM albums.