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Playground | 
| Artist: Manu Katche
Label: ECM
Category: Music
List Price: £14.99
Buy New: £11.98
You Save: £3.01 (20%)
New (21) Used (1) from £9.68
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 5639
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 4.7 x 0.5
MPN: 000966402
UPC: 602517373211
EAN: 0602517373211
ASIN: B000TLPW30
Release Date: September 24, 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Lo | | • | Pieces Of Emotion | | • | Song For Her | | • | So Groovy | | • | Morning Joy | | • | Motion | | • | Project 58 | | • | Snapshot | | • | Possible Thought | | • | Inside Game | | • | Clubbing | | • | Song For Her |
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| Customer Reviews:
 Mature EuroJazz October 2, 2008
Manu Katche has drummed for Jan Garbarek and learned his trade well. This is laidback AND funky enough to listen to at breakfast or sprawled on an evening sofa. There is more going on here than the average (not to say what follows is mediocre) Nordic jazz such as EST, Bobo Stensson or JG (though catch Garbarek's collaboration with Marilyn Mazur for exciting minimalist music). Katche sets the pace and rhythm without being a barely audible brush-on-the-snare drummer but also without dominating (if prominent drummers are your thing, try Billy Cobham with Asere). Love it.
better with less stars October 18, 2007
6 out of 10 found this review helpful
I think this is a great album of laid back and funky jazz all driven on and centred around katche's unique drum style. One of the most refreshing developments is the introduction of new sax's and trumpet instead of the established and somewhat overpowering garb and stank
 very good but not great October 7, 2007
16 out of 18 found this review helpful
On the first few listens, I was not overly impressed with this follow up to the excellent Neighbourhood. This was perhaps attributable to a number of factors. First, the unique and instantaneously identifiable tones of Garbarek and Stanko on saxophone and trumpet have been replaced by the new generation of Seim and Eick (superb artists though they are). Secondly, the ratio of ballads to jazz-funk tracks (which I considered the least successful in Neighbourhood) has been reversed. Thirdly, heresy it might be, but Neighbourhood is not the best representation of Katche the percussionist. While his cymbals work is great, much of the rest of his playing has a plastic and/or clunky sound which allude to if not echo the horrors of much 80s pop.
Numerous subsequent listens have allayed some of my concerns for there is certainly excellence at play in this 70 minute recording. Lo begins the set undemonstrably; the piano melody, understated percussion and restrained brass are all a model of Nordic cool. Pieces of Emotion features a strong piano motif reminiscent of Esbjorn Svensson which ushers in the brass.
Thereafter, save for the following Song for Her and the first two minutes of fifth track Morning Joy, Katche and his quintet present a run of mainly upbeat tracks which follow a similar pattern to a greater or lesser degree of success. Of these, Motion is certainly kinetic but not in a clumsy or obvious way and is probably the best synthesis of the lyricism and rhythm.
Throughout, nothing is too outré, too flashy, too experimental or, frankly speaking, too unique. This is best or worst exemplified by So Groovy, which is reminiscent of both No Rush and Take off and Land from Neighbourhood. It is by no means a bad song but at times it and other tracks sound like accomplished, or even very accomplished, jazz funk. Indeed the suspicion lingers that for at least some of Playground, this quintet of such creativity and technical brilliance is pressing the button marked "auto".
Song for Her is possibly the highlight. As is Manfred Eicher's hallmark (as I have remarked before),a version of this centrepiece also concludes the album. The third track "original" as it were starts off beautifully and slowly builds until it opens out half way in and loses its intimacy and some of the beauty in the process. What is telling is that I think the closing "version" is better, consisting predominantly of a piano trio with very occasional subtle sax and guest David Torn's atmospheric guitar and showpieces pianist Wasilewski's crystalline sound beautifully.
Overall this is a 70 minute recording of quality with more than enough to interest many a jazz fan. Others will be much less critical than I and Neighbourhood deserves great commercial success for the quintet and ECM but I cannot help thinking that something unique has been lost along the way.
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