Customer Reviews

Paths, Prints

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I absolutely love this album! Being a "jazz" guitarist, and I use the term jazz loosely, I was drawn to this because of Bill Frisell. This album is vintage Frisell along with Lyle Mays' self-titled release and "Fluid Rustle" by Eberhard Weber, so naturally I was going to buy this album eventually, espcially after hearing many people talk about Bill's playing on this album.

"Paths, Prints" which was recorded in December of 1981 at Talent Studio, Oslo, is a very inspiring listen. Not just because of Bill Frisell, but also for the compositions by saxophone virtuoso Jan Garbarek. The rhythm section are also of notable mention because they're the same rhythm section that appeared on Ralph Towner's classic "Solstice" record and they are Eberhard Weber on bass and Jon Christensen on drums. Jon Christensen (who also was great on the John Abercrombie release "Animato") is a fantastic drummer; he's very agile and allows himself time and space. Eberhard Weber is also an amazing player. His bass work here is unmatched.

I usually don't go for saxophone players albums too much, because alot of albums I've heard there was way too much emphasis on soloing and seeing how many notes the person can play. That's certainly not the case with "Paths, Prints." Jan plays very melodically and there's always a certain sadness to his ever-evolving lines, and the same applies to Bill Frisell. He provides an undercurrent of haunting voicings and single note cascades. In these early days, Bill played more texturally than he does today. He achieved alot of his sound by reverb, delay, and the use of a volume pedal, which were all common then, but it's the way he used the effects that made him stand out as an original player.

The music on this album can speak for itself, but let me just add if you like jazz with more leanings new age, and I mean new age with respect, then this is the album for you. I also recommend, if you like Jan Garbarek, Ralph Towner's "Solsitce" album. Very eerie and beautiful. Fans of Bill Frisell should already own this album.

I was fortunate enough to see the Jan Garbarek Quartet in Boston just before the release of Paths, Prints, and it was a remarkable concert. He is a special musician, and this is a wonderful CD that all jazz lovers should experience. Quite different from his "more typically jazz" European Quartet releases (Belonging, My Song, Nude Ants) and earlier ECM releases with a more chamber-jazz approach (Of Mist and Melting, Places, Photo With...), this CD set Garbarek off in a new direction, similar to the following Wayfarer and It's OK to Listen to the Gray Voice (both recommendable, but not as fine as Paths, Prints). There is still a good bit of space in the music, but Bill Frissell's guitar is quite unique in setting shapes and moods and context more than pointed solos, with Garbarek's reeds creeping into the melodies through the side door - quite an eerie, beautiful effect. This CD has memorable tunes, fine solo playing, and it sustains the listener's interests throughout. Despite the passage of many years since its release, it is jazz for today - it is great music. Try it!

"Ambient Music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting." While Brian Eno wrote this in 1978, it perfectly describes "Paths, Prints." Indeed, this 1981 release could be the very definition of the ECM sound, for better or worse. For the better, it beautifully walks that ambient line between new age sensibilities and European style jazz. For the worse, the music lacks hooks. Some listeners may find the effort a bit bland and feel unsettled by the absence of memorable compositions or melodies. Alas, it is what it is and it works well as atmospheric music. I approached this as a casual listener of Jan Garbarek and a fanatic of Bill Frisell. While there's plenty of Bill to satisfy the Frisellians, "Paths, Prints" will probably most resonate with devotees of Garbarek. That written, there is an inevitability to this project given both musicians' time on the label. While "Paths, Prints" remembers what has mostly become a phase for Bill Frisell, this project was an effective convergence of what were two remarkably similar visions. "Paths, Prints" stands as an ambient adventure between two great musicians.

The cover photo, by Petra Nettelbeck, is almost an ECM cliche: a long empty road stretching off into nowhere beneath a clouded sky. The music contained within, however, is not: this is one of Jan Garbarek's most atmospheric and introspective albums. Released in 1982, there is no esoteric "world music" here, thank you, just a four-piece ensemble and eight strong compositions. "The Path", "Footprints" (with ethnic percussion and wood flute), "The Move", and "Arc" are all Garbarek classics. This album introduced guitarist Bill Frisell to a wider ECM audience (he had previously appeared on a very obscure Eberhard Weber album, Fluid Rustle, in 1979), and was also the first of three album appearances by Weber as Garbarek's sideman after breaking up his Colours band.

From the soprano showpiece "Kite Dance", to the wistful "To B.E.", to the moody "Considering the Snail", to the (seemingly) improvised "Still", Paths, Prints, while not a masterpiece, can definitely be classified among the upper echelon of Jan Garbarek albums. Some will no doubt complain this album is too slow or that drummer Jon Christensen is given too little to do. Yet if you enjoy Garbarek's sax lines that threaten to extend indefinitely, or are a long-time listener to the hypnotic timbres of Frisell or Weber, you should like this album. Not an introductory work for the uninitiated, but yes, a great Sunday afternoon album.