ECM Records

ECM on vinyl: the sound from Munich

In short: ECM is the jazz label from Munich that has cultivated a sound all its own since 1969 – clear, open, with plenty of space. Keith Jarrett’s “The Köln Concert” is one of the best-known jazz records of all time. The Vinyl Room currently has 101 ECM records, 97 of them marked as first pressings.

What makes ECM special?

Manfred Eicher founded ECM in Munich in 1969 and still produces himself. Many recordings were made in Oslo with the engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug – bright, transparent, with lots of reverb and calm. The label’s motto: “The Most Beautiful Sound Next to Silence”. Then there’s the design: plain covers with photographs and typography you instantly recognise as ECM. Alongside Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Chick Corea, Gary Burton and Pat Metheny stand for the sound of the seventies.

Why collect ECM on vinyl?

Because at ECM music, sound and design belong together – the plain covers with their photographs work best in the large record format. The early seventies pressings come from Germany. From 1984 the “ECM New Series” added a separate line for classical and new music.

From our stock

ECM first pressings

Contemporary jazz

Fusion

New in

→ Jazz on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained · Plattenparty on YouTube

FAQ

What does ECM stand for? “Edition of Contemporary Music” – the label Manfred Eicher founded in Munich in 1969.

What is “The Köln Concert”? Keith Jarrett’s 1975 solo concert at the Cologne Opera House, released on ECM – one of the best-known jazz records of all time.

Why do ECM records sound so distinctive? Because of the clear, spacious recordings, above all with the engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug in Oslo.

What is the ECM New Series? The line for classical and new music that ECM launched in 1984.