Quarterly Critic’s Choice
The best and most interesting new releases of the previous three months are awarded a place on the Quarterly Critic’s Choice. Evaluation criteria are artistic quality, repertoire value, presentation, and sound quality. From 2014 onward, the Long Lists are stored directly with each Quarterly Critic’s Choice.
Crossover Productions
Björn Meyer: Convergence
ECM 2844 (Universal)
Björn Meyer has a rare ability to fill space with sound while retaining an intimate sense of warmth. He succeeds in »humanising« the electric bass guitar, shaping vivid musical narratives in the very moment of performance. Technically dazzling and constantly extending the expressive possibilities of his six-string instrument, Meyer draws the listener in through the sheer force of his musical imagination. »Convergence« belongs unmistakably to the ECM lineage of great solo bass albums, while speaking in a voice entirely its own. For the jury: Bert Noglik