Tomasz Stanko Quartet - September Night
(ECM Records, 2024)
Much has been made of the “ECM Sound.” Airy, dry, ethereal, and vaporous, this sound may roughly describe molecules escaping from creativity's bright white knife edge into a vast space where tones float. While many examples could be derived from the label’s plentiful catalog, the ECM Sound may best be defined by the recordings of Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko. Stanko belongs to a group of horn players that includes Enrico Rava, Paolo Fresu, Ralph Alessi, and Avishai Cohen all of whom have placed their unique indelible stamp on that sound that Manfred Eicher has spent over 50 years developing. Stanko first recorded for Eicher, releasing Balladyna (1975). He spent the next 20 years recording for Poljaz, Leo Records, and PN Muza, among others before returning to the ECM fold in 1995 with Matka Joanna, followed by Soul Of Things (2002), Suspended Night (2004), and Lontano (2006).
September Night is a live recording of Stanko with his Polish rhythm section of pianist Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz, and drummer Michal Miskiewicz. It was recorded in Munich’s Muffathalle on September 9, 2004, remaining unreleased until now. Stylistically, this recital exists between the leider forms of Suspended Night and the improvised areas explored on Lontano. Where early on Stanko drew from an American jazz tradition, he quickly assimilated these elements into a sturdy amalgam with the Polish spirit. Stanko and company believe in quiet contemplation, issuing emotive notes within the confines of tempo and tone. The trumpeter’s sound is all his own and on September Night he was forging his way toward a Slavic apotheosis.