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Jan Garbarek: Witchi-Tai-To

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: ECM Records
Released: 1974.02.10
Time:
 46:03
Category: Jazz
Producer(s): Manfred Eicher
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.ecmrecords.com
Appears with: Keith Jarrett, Eberhard Weber
Purchase date: 2002.04.02
Price in €: 16,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] A.I.R. (C.Bley) - 8:15
[2] Kukka (P.Danielsson) - 4:32
[3] Hasta Siempre (C.Puebla) - 8:10
[4] Witchi-Tai-To (J.Pepper) - 4:24
[5] Desireless (D.Cherry) - 20:25

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


JAN GARBAREK - Soprano & Tenor Saxophpone
BOBO STENSON - Piano
JON CHRISTENSEN - Drums
PALLE DANIELSSON - Double Bass

JAN ERIK KONGSHAUG - Engineer
PAUL MAAR - Cover Photo
B&B WOJIRSCH - Design

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1974 LP ECM 1041
1990 LP ECM 833330-1
1990 CD ECM 833330-2
1990 CS ECM 833330-4
2000 CD ECM 833330

Recorded between Nov 27, 1973 - Nov 28, 1973.



Long before he became the standard-bearer for the "ECM sound," churning out discs with a mildly medieval or Scandinavian flavor spiced with enough new age fluff to guarantee sales, Jan Garbarek produced a string of superb albums, culminating in Witchi-Tai-To, his masterpiece. Intriguingly, with the exception of Palle Danielsson's "Kukka," all of the pieces here are cover versions, largely culled from the then burgeoning Jazz Composers Orchestra catalog or related musicians. It opens with Carla Bley's "A.I.R.," an incredibly infectious melody heard on her Escalator Over the Hill. Garbarek's soprano slithers sensuously around the theme, searching for and finding all manner of variations, while Stenson, a chameleon-like pianist who shows aspects of Jarrett, Tyner, and Alice Coltrane, makes all the right choices in support. Charlie Haden used the Carlos Puebla composition "Hasta Siempre" as a cornerstone for his Liberation Music Orchestra, and Garbarek rips into it with total romantic gusto; his tenor playing has never sounded more robust, muscular, or inspired. The title track by Jim Pepper is given a short but lovely reading, Garbarek withholding its gorgeous theme until the end of the piece, leaving the listener dying to hear more. Which is exactly what Don Cherry did on his Relativity Suite, where his supremely beautiful song "Desireless" lasted barely a minute. Here, it's stretched out over the 20-minute mark, Garbarek summoning the spirit of John Coltrane and offering a stunning amount of indefatigable creativity. He might never have reached similar heights since, but Witchi-Tai-To, along with Dave Holland's Conference of the Birds, is one of the two finest jazz albums that ECM ever released, and simply one of the very top jazz albums of the '70s.

Brian Olewnick, All-Music Guide, © 1992 - 2002 AEC One Stop Group, Inc.



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



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;

A music fan from Meacham, SK Canada, August 31, 2001



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.

Gavin J Wilson from Bor Ninto, April 29, 2001



A "state-of-the-art" album by Garbarek & Co. Was recorded the same year as the famous "BELONGING" with the same rhythm-section (Palle Danielsson-bass, Jon Christensen-drums) but with swedish Bobo Stenson on piano instead of Keith Jarrett. This Garbarek is soo different from Garbarek in Jarrett's quartets (more Coltrane-ian, less restrained) yet he still yields a great performance. HASTA SIEMPRE is my favorite piece - a kind of Scandinavian Flamenco, has the same chrod progression (Am-G-F-E). Also check another version of Jim Pepper's Witchi-Tai-To, a piece recorded several times by Garbarek (also on TWELVE MOONS) and Ralph Towner & OREGON (albums WINTER LIGHT, OUT OF THE WOODS, etc.)

Sumatriptan from Corner of Broadway and Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, April 20, 2001



My roommate at college introduced me to the ECM label through Keith Jarrett's Koln Concert and two very obscure releases from a bass player named Barre Phillips - Mountainscapes and Three Day Moon (all 3 releases named above are highly recommended, by the way!). This marked my conversion from rock music to jazz, and I set out to the local bookstore to browse the bins (we are talking 21 years ago, so one could still enjoy flipping the album covers). I decided to purchase 3 ECM jazz releases - Ralph Towner's Solstice, Sound and Shadows (superb!), the John Abercrombie Quartet, and Jan Garbarek's Witchi-Tai-To. I am embarrassed to relate how many ECMs I now have in my collection, but it can be assured that Witchi-Tai-To remains a very important centerpiece, music that stands the test of time and always sounds fresh and challenging. The first cut, A.I.R. (all-India Radio), is a reworking of a Carla Bley tune that first appeared in a very different format and sound on the bizarre but wonderful Escalator Over The Hill. A great tune, and superb way to start the CD. Tunes 2 and 3 are fine, but the real gems are Jim Pepper's Witchi-Tai-To (which you could hum all day, as it drills itself into your memory), and the great tune Desireless. Garbarek plays more tenor on this release than he currently does, and his tone is warm and rich, though not cloying at all. The rhythym section of Palle Daniellsen (bass) and Jon Christensen (drums) is still the one of choice for those who record on ECM - just great, great players. And, Bobo Stenson, at the time of the recording somewhat obscure, is now perhaps THE piano player most desired for recording sessions on ECM. If you own or have heard this CD, I am telling you nothing new. If you do not own it, do yourself and your ears a favor...and buy it!

Craig LeHoullier from raleigh, NC USA , December 7, 2000
 

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