Episode #34 - Fred Hersch: Silent, Listening

In the 41st episode of the ECM podcast we're joined by Florian Weber, who's new recording "Imaginary Cycle" sees the pianist in the company of a major brass section plus a flute. Florian talks about the various inspirations that went into the cycle, including madrigals and Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble's "Officum" album. He talks about his conpirators in music, the process of developing this major musical project in collaboration with producer Manfred Eicher and about how in music, asking a question can be a lot more interesting than finding the answer.

In the 40th episode of the ECM podcast, the Danish String Quartet's Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen and Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin join us to discuss their new album "Keel Road". They talk about the history of the quartet, their mission as classical musicians, the influence of folkloric music and many other things.

In the 39th episode of the ECM podcast, Lucain Ban and Mat Maneri join us to discuss the fascinating process of making their new album "Transylvanian Dance". They talk about Béla Bartók, the duo's shared passion for folk music, and the beauty of transmission.

In the 38th episode of the ECM podcast, we're joined by the trio of Alice Zawadzki, Fred Thomas and Misha Mullov-Abbado, who present a rare alchemy on their trio debut "Za Górami", fusing folk idioms from a multitude of sources with free flowing interplay and fluid structures. Inhabiting their own stylistic realm, the trio encompasses folk song, chamber music, improvisation and acoustic jazz, and presents the full span of their reach in a mesmerizing whole. Alice, Fred and Misha talk about the meaning behind the Polish term "Za Górami", the emotional impact of Ladino songs, how the three came together and where they meet in music as well as aobut the recording session at the Auditorio in Lugano, and more.

In the 37th episode of the ECM podcast, we're joined by Italian pianist Giovanni Guidi, whose new album "A New Day" features his trio with bassist Thomas Morgan and João Lobo on drums, plus the new and exciting addition of James Brandon Lewis on saxophone. Giovanni talks about the individual band members, the collaboration with Manfred Eicher as a producer and what "A New Day" means to him.

In the 36th episode of the ECM podcast, the legendary singer Norma Winstone joins us to talk about her new duo album "Outpost of Dreams", recorded in duo with pianist Kit Downes. Norma talks about her incredible career, her history with ECM and the collaboration with Kit Downes.

In the 35th episode of the ECM podcast we're joined by saxophonist Oded Tzur, whose third recording for the label features an altered version of his quartet, with Nitai Hershkovits on piano, Petros Klampanis on bass and new arrival Cyrano Almeida on drums. "My Prophet" was recorded at Studios La Buissonne, in Southern France, and produced by Manfred Eicher. Oded talks about love, faith and how music can save lives.

In the 34th episode of the ECM podcast we're joined by pianist Fred Hersch, whose solo-debut for ECM Records, "Silent, Listening", was recorded in Lugano, in 2023 and produced by Manfred Eicher. In the conversation, Fred talks about the close collaboration with Manfred Eicher, the serendipity of life and how special this album is to him.

In the 33rd episode of the ECM podcast we're joined by Arve Henriksen and Harmen Fraanje, whose duo debut "Touch of Time" presents the musicians in both freely improvised forms and carefully wrought themes, picking up and finishing each other's phrases. They talk about their approach to improvising, how "Touch of Time" presents exactly where they meet in music and about how various literature informed the titles on this album.

In the 32nd episode of the ECM podcast we're once again joined by Vijay Iyer, whose new album "Compassion" is the pianist's second outing with his trio of Linda May Han Oh on bass and drummer Tyshawn Sorey and was co-produced with Manfred Eicher. Vijay talks about the state of the world, the bond created when making music in collaboration with others, album titles and compassion.