Associated with ECM almost from the beginning of its history, Arild Andersen played on five of the first 20 albums issued by the label – Jan Garbarek’s “Afric Pepperbird” and “Sart”, Terje Rypdal’s ECM leader debut, Bobo Stenson’s first trio disc, and saxophonist Robin Kenyatta’s “Girl from Martinique”. Andersen’s first three albums as a leader – “Clouds In My Head” “Shimri”, and “Green Shading Into Blue” – were recently issued as the box-set “Green In Blue: Early Quartets” in ECM’s Old & New Masters series.
Other Andersen ECM recordings have included “Lifelines” (with Kenny Wheeler and Paul Motian), “Molde Concert” (with Bill Frisell, John Taylor and Alphonse Mouzon), “Sagn” (with folk singer Kristen Bråten Berg), “If You Look Far Enough”(with Ralph Towner and Nana Vasconcelos), “Hyperborean” (with the Cikada String Quartet and Bendik Hofseth), “Achirana” and “The Triangle” (with Vassilis Tsabropoulos and John Marshall), three albums with the band Masqualero, the anthology “Selected Recordings” and more. The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra played the “Celebration” repertoire on tour in Scotland in 2010.
This was followed by performances at the Molde Festival and the London Jazz Festival in 2011. Arild Andersen and Tommy Smith are currently looking at new possibilities to present the material in concert.
