This three CD box brings together music recorded for ECM by Eberhard Weber’s band Colours: the albums “Yellow Fields” (1975), “Silent Feet” (1977) and “Little Movements” (1980). Throughout the six years of its existence, Colours was one of the most popular ensembles on the European jazz touring circuit – although Weber has always stressed the group’s conceptual distance from a jazz mainstream. Many idiomatic elements were combined in Colours’ stylistic mix. The group’s sound-world consciously extended the palette proposed by “The Colours of Chlo?”, Weber’s prize-winning ECM disc of 1974. As the innovative German bassist explains in the liner notes, “there were various aspects to the [Chlo?] session, from the reflective European or chamber music side of the writing, to some jazz-rock and a kind of pictorial play with minimalism. Eventually, all these aspects would be developed in Colours.” 

Jon Hassell: trumpet, J.A.Deane: percussion, alto flute, Jean-Philippe Rykiel: keyboards, Michael Brook: guitar, Richard Horowitz: keyboards, Brian Eno: bass, Richard Armin: RAAD electric strings, Paul Armin: RAAD electric strings, Miguel Frasconi: flute

Terje Rypdal: electric guitar
Palle Mikkelborg: trumpet
Terje Tønnesen: violin
David Darling: cello
Christian Eggen: piano, keyboards
Paolo Vinaccia: drums, percussion
Jon Christensen: drums

Pat Metheny: guitars, synclavier, Lyle Mays: piano, synthesizer, autoharp, organ, synclavier, Steve Rodby: bass,  Dan Gottlieb: drums, Nana Vasconcelos: percussion, vocal, berimbau

Nguyên Lê enlightens the Floyd’s repertoire – pure happiness – and enchants it with the collusion of the NDR Bigband and its brilliant soloists, deploying new sound-textures created by the uplifting orchestrations of Michael Gibbs. The arrangements here provide choice settings for inspired improvisations and also reveal other compositions which appear as natural extensions of the original opus.

Emile Parisien: saxophones, Julien Touery: piano, Ivan Gelugne: bass, Sylvain Darrifourcq: drums, percussion, zither