"Neighbourhood" is the second solo album released by session drummer Manu Katché. While his first offering, "It's About Time", was considered a rock/funk album, "Neighbourhood" is solid jazz. Katché composed all of the music on the album.

On this self-titled 2012 release, his fourth for ECM, Manu Katché's unique drumming sets the scene and direction with compositions and arrangements radiating outward from its rhythm patterns, his strongly propulsive yet relaxed groove unlike any other drummer’s. The bass-less Katché band assembled for this album includes Norwegians Nils Petter Molvær on trumpet and saxophonist Tore Brunborg (the only musician invited back from Third Round) with British keyboardist Jim Watson on lyrical piano and thick, swirling organ. Katché himself plays the piano solo on the final track.

On Manu Katché’s third ECM album, released in 2010, the French-African drummer surrounds himself with a fresh group of musicians spearheaded by bassist Pino Palladino who effortlessly reinforces the groove; as a rhythm section Katché and Palladino are truly in synch, having shared much history as session players over the years. Pianist Jason Rebello reveals both delicacy of touch and energy to burn and saxophonist Tore Brunborg solos passionately while guest guitarist Jacob Young shades and colours a handful of pieces and trumpeter Kami Lyle appears on "Flower Skin". Lyle also provides vocals on the country-flavoured "Stay With You" which she co-wrote with Katché.

Eagerly awaited second ECM album by French-African drummer Manu Katché. Recorded in New York’s Avatar Studio in January 2007, “Playground” picks up where the best-selling “Neighbourhood” left off: in the interim the project has coalesced into a rip-roaring and fully-integrated band. Manu’s group, featuring a Polish/Norwegian confederacy of young players, is energized by his hard driving drums and by his compositions which invite spirited solos… Together, the quintet - whose strong new frontline features Mathias Eick and Trygve Seim - makes exciting, zestful music.

This one is very eagerly-awaited: it has been six years since Jan Garbarek’s last album as a leader. And, moreover, this double-album - recorded in Dresden’s Alter Schlachthof in October 2007 - is also the first-ever live set from the highly-popular Garbarek Group. The band, now including Brazilian bassist Yuri Daniel, powers through repertoire old and new, and the Norwegian saxophonist is in top form, his exchanges with Manu Katche’s bold, emphatic drums particularly exciting. Material includes “12 Moons”, “There Were Swallows”, “Voy Cantando”, an ecstatic version of “Paper Nut” (last heard on Shankar’s “Song for Everyone”) and much more. Released in time for Jan’s extensive autumn tour.

The first live album and ACT debut of the worldwide reknown drummer: A great night at the Parisian New Morning full of intensity, spirit and magic.