Jan Garbarek With Bobo Stenson - Witchi-Tai-To

This 1974 session by the Garbarek-Bobo Stenson quartet is an important chapter in the rise of the ECM style, a shift toward a more spacious, deliberated music. Although the tunes are drawn from mostly American jazz sources and the influence of the John Coltrane quartet looms large, it's also beginning to define a distinctively Scandinavian style, a combination of cool textures, open harmonies, and intense lyricism. It comes as much from the rhythm section as from Garbarek's own linear, melodic focus, with pianist Stenson, and bassist Palle Danielsson using spare ostinatos in support and drummer Jon Christensen coloring the music with cymbals and brushes. They're heard in a well-balanced program, with each piece revealing another facet of the group. Garbarek's soprano is a keening presence on Carla Bley's "A.I.R.," while his tenor is all brooding Spanish passion on Carlos Puebla's "Hasta Siempre," propelled by Christensen's march rhythms. Danielsson's "Kukka," the sole original, is highlighted by the bassist's own melodic solo, while hints of the blues suffuse Stenson's spare opening to Jim Pepper's "Witchi-Tai-To." The 20-minute version of Don Cherry's "Desireless" has a majestic, unfolding lyricism that's both distinctive and the CD's strongest homage to the Coltrane style. --Stuart Broomer Amazon.com

Garbarek At One Of His Peaks

For my money, ECM at large and Mr. Garbarek in particular managed, for years and years, better than most to create and share music at times sublime and always unassuming. Music from musicians, great ones often and committed to explore Jazz beyond wherever it happens to be.

What Witchi-Tai-To has to offer is one of the peaks I noted on the title to this review. Other than the magic that exploded out of "My Song" with Keith Jarrett, no one has played with Jan like pianist Stenson. And Stenson--whose own albums are tremendous, by the way--along with Palle Danielsson on bass and Jon Christensen on drums, are a dream come true.

The material is as great as it is inspiredly played. If you don't own it ... well ... repair the error as quickly as yo can. January 5, 2008

Props to Jim Pepper

Jim Pepper was only mentioned a few times in these reviews. Too bad, he is worthy of much more attention. If you like Witchi-Tai-To, then you should check out Jim peppers recordings. He was a very strong tenor player and writer. He went right by the usual tenor player cliches and went straight for the jugular. Very intense and emotional. Dakota Song, Comin' and Goin', The Path were great records albeit, hard to find. However, my favorite Jim Pepper recording is a live concert he did in Germany called "Remembrance." He really shines here. He does all of his own compositions, all hearkening back to his Native American roots. PBS did a video special on him called "Pepper's Pow Wow." I just wish he were still here. Check it out. November 3, 2007

One of Garbarek's Best Albums

"Witchi-Tai-To" released in 1974 on ECM stands as a great introduction to jazz music and also to the saxophone style of Jan Garbarek. First of all, Jan's one of the great saxophone players of our time. He's very melodic and he doesn't rely on nasty squawks and noises to make his saxophone playing interesting (not that making noise is interesting).

Jan is joined by Bobo Stenson on piano, Palle Danielsson on bass, and Jon Christensen on drums, which also make up Keith Jarrett's European quartet (check out the albums "Belonging" and "My Song"). I was really impressed with the piano work of Bobo Stenson, but all the musicians that contributed are incredible. Jon Christensen's drumming is very fluid and he's been one of my favorite drummers for many years now. Palle Danielsson does a great job at the deep end, guiding the melodies along in a very relaxed manner.

"Witchi-Tai-To" remains one of the greatest jazz recordings in the 70s in my opinion. I listen to this album alot.

If you like Jan Garbarek's playing I also recommend Ralph Towner's "Solstice," his own "Twelve Moons," and any album he played with Keith Jarrett on. April 19, 2006

Six Stars

My number one Jazz album of all time. Co-leaders Jan Garbarek and Bobo Stenson make possibly the best use of the ECM 'house rhythm section' (Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen) on a wonderful selection of 'non-Standard' compositions. The spotlight is shared the group and the compositions (including one by bassist Danielsson.) Stunning intuitive interplay, passionate intensity and heart-wrenching beauty; September 1, 2001

Desirable (highly)

Although this album was recorded in 1973 by four young, then relatively unknown, Nordic jazz musicians, I didn't get to hear it until 1977 when a student I met at a Weather Report concert introduced me to the LP. It blew my mind, and I have been steadily accumulating Jan Garbarek albums ever since.

For me, this is one of the least Nordic of my Garbarek albums. He wrote none of the tracks himself -- highly uncharacteristic of his output over the past 20 years -- and indeed most were written by American jazz composers, such as Cherry and Bley (C.). Only one track was written by a band member: Palle Danielsson's 'Kukka', a title which sounds like a piece of furniture you can buy from IKEA.

As an LP, this was a highly unbalanced selection. Side Two was simply magnificent, so Side One hardly got played at all, even though it contained at least two decent tracks. Hopefully with CD, tracks 1-3 should get a fairer hearing.

But tracks 4 and 5 are gorgeous. For me, this is the definitive version of 'Witchi-Tai-To' -- although Garbarek commemorated it by re-recording it for the ECM anniversary special CD, 'Twelve Moons'. It's probably Stenson's delicate piano-playing that makes it for me. And then comes the sublime 'Desireless', in which Garbarek alternates between harsh and beautiful tones on the intro, and then we get a very solid groove delivered by the bass, quite unlike anything else that I own of Garbarek's. After a wonderfully long piece of interplay between bass, piano and drums, Garabarek re-enters and, to my mind, messes it up. It's unusual for me to rate a piece so highly when I dislike a passage within it, but I guess it shows how strong most of it is.

Fans who only found Garabarek in the 1990s will be very pleased by this album of twenty years earlier. The standard of musicianship is just as high, and the sound is just ... well, different. As you might expect of an older recording, there is some tape hiss on the quieter passages. April 30, 2001

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