''Universal Syncopations'' is an album by Czech jazz bassist

Miroslav Vitouš Miroslav Ladislav Vitouš (born 6 December 1947) is a Czech jazz bassist. He is known as a founding member of the ensemble Weather Report, and for working as a bandleader and alongside Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette and others. Biography E ...

recorded between 2002–2003 and released on ECM later that year.ECM discography
accessed October 14, 2011

Reception

''Universal Syncopations'' was received positively by critics upon release, with John Fordham describing it, in his review for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', as "a wonderful contemporary jazz set ..in which all the players reconsider their histories to maximise the intensity of the present." In a similarly positive review, Thom Jurek of ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

'' wrote, "''Universal Syncopations'' is by turns a return to not the old forms, but rather to the manner of illustrating harmonic concepts in a quintet setting that allows for a maximum space between ensemble players while turning notions of swing, counterpoint, and rhythmic invention on their heads... ''Universal Syncopations'' is one of the most gorgeous sounding and toughly played dates of the calendar year."Jurek, T
Allmusic Review
accessed October 14, 2011 Not all critics were as emphatically positive about the release. Writing for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, Peter Marsh acknowledged the exceptional individual musical performances, but thought that there was at times a 'lack of cohesion' in the ensemble playing, making ''Universal Syncopations'' "a bit of a disappointment". In a similar vein, Thomas Conrad of the ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' was an American print magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade ...

'' wrote that ''Universal Syncopations'' was most successful during the 'productive' synergies between Vitous, DeJohnette, Garbarek and Corea, noting that the three least satisfying tracks were those that included Wayne Bergeron, Valerie Ponomarev, Isaac Smith, and John McLaughlin. "Their weight interferes with the way this music dances on air", Conrad concluded.

Track listing

:''All compositions by Miroslav Vitouš except as indicated.'' # "Bamboo Forest" - 4:37 # "Univoyage" - 10:54 # "Tramp Blues" - 5:19 # "Faith Run" - 4:58 # "Sun Flower" - 7:21 # "Miro Bop" - 4:03 # "Beethoven" (Jan Garbarek, Vitouš) - 7:18 # "Medium" (Jack DeJohnette, Vitouš) - 5:09 # "Brazil Waves" (Garbarek, Vitouš) - 4:26

Personnel

* Miroslav Vitouš –

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

Jan Garbarek Jan Garbarek () (born 4 March 1947) is a Norwegian jazz saxophonist, who is also active in classical music and world music. Garbarek was born in Mysen, Østfold, southeastern Norway, the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war, Czesław Gar ...

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soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a small, high-pitched member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented in the 1840s by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. Built in B♭ an octave above the tenor saxophone (or rarely, slightly small ...

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain (instrumental), Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" ...

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piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

* John McLaughlin –

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd (jazz musician), Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, B ...

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drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

* Wayne Bergeron –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

(tracks 2-4) * Valery Ponomarev – trumpet,

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

(tracks 2-4) * Isaac Smith –

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

(tracks 2-4)

Chart performance

References

{{Authority control ECM Records albums Miroslav Vitouš albums 2003 albums Albums produced by Manfred Eicher