| Midwest | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 20, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | May 2014 | |||
| Studio | Rainbow Studio Oslo, Norway | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 42:19 | |||
| Label | ECM ECM 2410 | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| Mathias Eick chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |   [1] |
| All Music |  [2] |
| The Guardian | [3] |
Midwest is the third studio album by Norwegian jazz trumpeter Mathias Eick, recorded in May 2014 and released on ECM March the following year. [4]
Midwest consists of eight new songs dealing with the concept of home. [5] The album was inspired by his tour of the US and Canada. The music is a tribute to the way the people and music move around the world. During its creation, this album was focused on the Midwestern United States because in the past, many Norwegians left Europe to move to America and settled in the Midwest. [4]
Thom Jurek in his review for AllMusic says that "The compositions are all lyrical, in typical Eick fashion, but with Larsen they take on a rougher, more earthen quality... it perfectly illustrates the thematic frame of the journey he set out to portray: that of the immigrant encountering the unknown and embracing it." [2]
In his review for The Guardian , Dave Gely gave this album four stars and says that "Eick has a beautiful tone and writes attractive themes, by turns haunting and energetic." and added that "The inclusion of folk violinist Gjermund Larsen in the band adds a contrasting texture and some truly exciting solos." [3]
Karl Ackermann gave a four and a half stars and says in All About Jazz that "Eick favors minimalist constructs and otherworldly atmospherics, qualities that are well suited in imagining the theme and mood he has intended for Midwest, a warm album as natural and comforting as going home." [1]
All music is composed by Mathias Eick
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Midwest" | 5:11 |
| 2. | "Hem" | 5:14 |
| 3. | "March" | 5:53 |
| 4. | "At Sea" | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Dakota" | 4:55 |
| 6. | "Lost" | 5:43 |
| 7. | "Fargo" | 6:18 |
| 8. | "November" | 5:02 |
| Total length: | 42:19 | |
Torstein Lofthus is a Norwegian drummer and composer who has been a member of the bands Shining, Elephant9, the Mathias Eick Band, D'Sound, and Ebersson/Zanussi/Lofthus. He is married to Hege Lofthus.
Mathias Eick is a Norwegian jazz musician, and the brother of the jazz musicians Johannes Eick and Trude Eick. He is mainly known from his releases on the jazz label ECM Records. His main instrument is the trumpet, but he also plays upright bass, vibraphone, piano and guitar. He has performed with several well-known music groups and musicians, e.g. Jaga Jazzist, Manu Katché, and the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra together with Chick Corea and Pat Metheny. Besides this he is also known for his collaboration with Norwegian singer-songwriter Thomas Dybdahl, and recordings with the Norwegian bands Turboneger, DumDum Boys, Motorpsycho, D'Sound and Bigbang.
Trygve Seim is a Norwegian jazz saxophonist and composer. Seim has released numerous albums since 1992, including over 20 albums for ECM Records as a composer, band-leader or co-band-leader.
Andreas Ulvo is a Norwegian jazz pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer, known from cooperations with Shining, Ingrid Olava, Mathias Eick Quartet, Solveig Slettahjell & Slow Motion Orchestra, Karl Seglem and Thom Hell.
Dona Nostra is an album by jazz trumpeter Don Cherry with Bobo Stenson and Lennart Åberg recorded in 1993 and released on the ECM label. The album was Cherry's last as a leader prior to his death in 1995.
The Door is the debut studio album by Norwegian trumpeter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Mathias Eick recorded in September 2007 and released on ECM in August the following year.
Christian Wallumrød is a Norwegian jazz musician and composer, and is considered one of the most prominent musicians of the younger Norwegian generation, known from releases with his own Christian Wallumrød Ensemble on the German label ECM Records, while regularly touring and appearing in festivals in Norway, elsewhere in Scandinavia and Europe, and in the US. He is the brother of jazz vocalist Susanna Wallumrød and the drummer Fredrik Wallumrød, and cousin to the pianist David Wallumrød.
Tore Brunborg is a Norwegian jazz musician and composer who plays saxophone. He was born in Trondheim but grew up in Voss where a jazz environment was flowering. Known from numerous appearances with international greats including Bugge Wesseltoft, Håvard Wiik, Audun Kleive, Anders Jormin, Diederik Wissels, Arild Andersen, Pat Metheny, Per Jørgensen, Geir Lysne, Misha Alperin, Bjørn Alterhaug, Jan Gunnar Hoff, Jarle Vespestad, Jon Christensen, Jon Balke, Nils Petter Molvær, Vigleik Storaas, Bo Stief, and Billy Cobham.
Ole Morten Vågan is a Norwegian jazz musician and composer, and the older brother of guitarist Petter Vågan. He is known from several recordings and is currently acting as artistic director for the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. Vågan is also known from cooperating with some of the most influential musicians and composers internationally and has released eight albums as a leader, recently with the TJO, as well as six albums with his group Motif and one with the group The Deciders.
Jacob Albert Young is a Norwegian jazz guitarist, arranger, composer, and band leader. He has recorded with Karin Krog, Arild Andersen, Larry Goldings, Nils Petter Molvær, Bendik Hofseth, Terje Gewelt, Per Oddvar Johansen, Arve Henriksen, Jarle Vespestad, Trygve Seim, Mats Eilertsen, Vigleik Storaas, Christian Wallumrød, Bendik Hofseth, Håkon Kornstad, Knut Reiersrud, and Audun Erlien.
Bergen Big Band (BBB) is a Norwegian big band established 1991 as a continuation of Knut Kristiansen's Bergen Band. BBB is known from cooperations with musicians like Phil Woods, Paquito D'Rivera, Joe Henderson, Maria Schneider, Diana Krall, Sissel Kyrkjebø, Andy Sheppard, Martial Solal, Mathias Rüegg, Gianluigi Trovesi, Mathias Eick, Ole Kock Hansen, Etta Cameron, Karin Krog, John Surman, Dino Saluzzi, Gustavo Bergalli, Berit Opheim, Jan Magne Førde, The Core, Ab und Zu, Vidar Johansen, Paolo Vinaccia, Ståle Storløkken, Palle Mikkelborg and Terje Rypdal among others.
Sideways is an album by Norwegian guitarist and composer Jacob Young recorded in May 2006 and released on ECM in April 2008. The quintet features trumpeter Mathias Eick, reed player Vidar Johansen and rhythm section Mats Eilertsen and Jon Christensen.
Evening Falls is an album by Norwegian guitarist and composer Jacob Young recorded in December 2002 and released on ECM in August 2004.
Playground is an album by drummer and composer Manu Katché recorded in the first week of 2007 and released on ECM later that year.
Atmosphères is a jazz and ambient double-album by pianist Tigran Hamasyan recorded over three days in May 2014 and released on ECM in September 2016. The quartet features trumpeter Arve Henriksen, guitarist Eivind Aarset and producer Jan Bang.
Touchstone for Manu is a jazz compilation album by Manu Katché released on ECM in August 2014.
A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke is an album by trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and pianist Vijay Iyer which was released in March 2016 on ECM Records.
Ravensburg is the fourth studio album by Norwegian jazz musician Mathias Eick, recorded in June 2017 and released on ECM March the following year. Eick originally planned to name the album Family but, after realizing how many albums already had that title, opted for Ravensburg, the Swabian town in Germany from which his grandmother came.
Skala is the second studio album by Norwegian jazz trumpeterMathias Eick, recorded in December 2009 and January 2010 and released on ECM in March 2011.
Sangam is a 2004 studio album by Norwegian jazz saxophonist Trygve Seim. The album was Seim's second solo release on the ECM Records label and developed musical themes introduced on his solo debut, Different Rivers, and from his free jazz collaborations with The Source.
