ECM Trumpets

The trumpet is an instrument of thresholds. Its voice arrives from beyond the visible world, bearing summons and warning within the same breath. It can illuminate a melody’s architecture, then dissolve it until only a gleam remains. This rare sampler, included with the April 2016 issue of Musica Jazz, gathers master trumpeters associated with ECM and reveals how differently each has negotiated the border between declaration and disappearance. Mathias Eick’s “Dakota,” from Midwest (ECM 2410), makes an ideal point of departure. He plays with quiet joy and rare melodic acuity, enlarging the distance between notes until each interval feels inhabitable. His harmonizations with violinist Gjermund Larsen enchant, while pianist Jon Balke brings wonder and space. Bassist Mats Eilertsen and drummer Helge Norbakken keep microscopic currents moving beneath the calm surface. The compilation then turns toward late-1970s Germany and Manfred Schoof’s quintet. “Resonance,” the North Star of Light…