Manu Katche: Live in Concert

Manu Katché has left ECM after four records, and his new album, Live in Concert, showcases a slightly more aggressive side of the drummer, who is a Frenchman with African roots. The disc, recorded at the New Morning jazz club in Paris, contains nine songs, all drawn from his previous three albums and all a buoyant celebration of life. Rock listeners know Katché from his work with Peter Gabriel, Sting, Tears for Fears and others, and a pop sensibility definitely infiltrates his work. But though his own compositions rock more than swing, his group’s performance revolves around a profound dedication to improvisation and dynamic interplay.