ECM’s Begins :rarum Artist Series

Get set for something rare in the recording industry: ECM’s :rarum anthology project. This series of CDs gives artists a chance to collect tracks from their own ECM albums and release them together as compilation of favorites. It’s about what the artists want you to hear and how you should hear it; they have free reign over track selection and sequencing, they write their own liner notes and provide their own photos.

The first batch of eight :rarum discs will be released on May 21 and will include collections by Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Bill Frisell, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Terje Rypdal, and Bobo Stenson.

Also get set to do some heavy lifting. Some of the liner notes are quite extensive (Burton and Frisell just go on and on), and two of the CDs (Jarrett’s and Garbarek’s) are double-disc sets. ECM wasn’t kidding around about giving these guys carte blanche.

The series continues in the autumn with releases by Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Egberto Gismonti, Paul Motian, Carla Bley, David Darling, John Surman, Tomasz Stanko, Eberhard Weber, and Arild Andersen. On deck for 2003 stand Charles Lloyd, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette, John Abercrombie, Ralph Towner, Charlie Haden and more to be announced.

Originally Published April 15, 2002