Manu Katche

Manu Katche has been a favorite of mine since I became familiar with his
work with Peter Gabriel and Sting.

When I read a previous recommendation for "Playground" and
"Neighborhood", I immediately checked them out and purchased
"Playground".

It’s a pleasant, easy listening style of jazz. Perhaps perfect for background,
dining or reading music. I don’t find much in it that's challenging, new or
particularly interesting. Mostly, it strikes me as commercial, New Age jazz. It's well played and well recorded.

If you seek these titles out with the idea of hearing something inventive from
one of he world's best drummers, I believe you will be disappointed.
However, if you approach the music from the standpoint of pleasant, mellow,
piano jazz, then it will likely please.

A finely tailored suit , aged wine and poetry are admired by discriminating pallets . Its often the subtle nuances of speech that signal wisdom . I would imagine Mark Twain to have been soft spoken . Manus work on these 2 albums deserve study imo. What they are not is obvious . What they are speaks volumes to me. Fluid , carefully constructed and woven together instrumental arrangements that are restrained yet convey emotion and passion . His drumming is a Master Class in my eyes but you must dig below the surface to sense it. These albums require patience and attention to their well conceived detail. Background music ... I beg to differ .

I watched him play in Dallas years ago with Peter Gabriel.
We arrived at the show early for set up (selling merchandise, tshirts, etc) and by the time we had set up,
the sound check began, so we strolled into the venue and
made our way quietly toward the stage. After sitting a few
rows back, the band waved us forward... so we moved up to
front row (right)

I am still blown away to this day, frankly.

Manu has an interesting playing style (form) that
would not be considered technically correct, yet he
STILL blows many drummers out of the water, imho.

Fairly darn amazing drummer indeed.

Brainwater: I couldn't agree more. He has a way of carving up a simple time signature in so many ways...always keeping the listener engaged. What I find especially appealing about his two latest ECM releases, is that he uses wraped wood dowels and brushes more than he uses sticks, really brings out the nuances of drums and cymbals. Speaking of cymbals...how about those little splash cymbals (6 inch and larger) he uses?! To me, this is a big part of his signature sound. Check out some sound clips on the Drummerworld website: http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Manu_Katche.html
If you like his two latest releases, check out his work with Jan Garbarek as well. Enjoy.

Brainwater, I was a drummer for many years. I am very appreciative of the
subtleties of percussion, and I appreciate what Katche is doing on these
recordings.

I am not debating the quality of the music or playing. I'm primarily
highlighting the style, which is not particularly innovative, and unlike what many
Katche fans might expect. So, if one is curious, the I suggest playing the
samples available on Amazon before buying the disc.