''Playground'' is an album by drummer and composer

Manu Katché Manu Katché (born 27 October 1958) is a French drummer and songwriter of Ivorian descent. He has worked extensively as a session musician, notably with Sting and Peter Gabriel, and his solo albums as a bandleader are largely in the jazz fusion ...

recorded in the first week of 2007 and released September 25, 2007 on ECM.ECM Releases
accessed October 24, 2016

Reception

The

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

review by Thom Jurek says "''Playground'' is an exciting new chapter in Katche's evolution as a leader; but more than this, bodes well for the future of jazz: it never loses sight of itself, but moves the various threads of its subgenres further without stretching any of them to the breaking point." In ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American 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 of growt ...

'' Jeff Tamarkin wrote "Manu Katché must be the least egotistical drummer on the planet. Although he’s rarely out of earshot on ''Playground'', and the vision is clearly his, there’s not a moment when he hogs the spotlight ... most of the star turns go to the Norwegian hornmen, Trygve Seim on tenor and soprano saxophones and trumpeter Mathias Eick, and to the Polish pianist, Marcin Wasilewski. But they too keep things in check, and ''Playground'', despite brief flashes of intensity, often teeters toward the smooth-jazz chasm—it never quite falls in, but it comes awfully close."Tamarkin, J.
JazzTimes Review
November 2007 - accessed October 24, 2016 On ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'' John Kelman noted "''Playground'' is, like its predecessor, first and foremost an outstandingly honest record and proves, yet again, that accessible music needn't be lightweight or predictable."Kelman, J.
All About Jazz Review
accessed October 24, 2016

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians

– drums *

Mathias Eick Mathias Eick (born 26 June 1979) is a Norwegian jazz musician, and the brother of the jazz musicians Johannes Eick and Trude Eick. He is mainly known from his releases on the jazz label ECM Records. His main instrument is the trumpet, but he als ...

– trumpet *

Trygve Seim Trygve Seim (born 25 April 1971) is a Norwegian jazz musician (saxophone) and composer. He started to play the saxophone in 1985 after hearing Jan Garbarek's CD ''Eventyr''. Career Seim was born in Oslo. He studied music at Foss videregåe ...

– tenor and soprano saxophones *

Marcin Wasilewski Marcin Ryszard Wasilewski (; born 9 June 1980) is a Polish former professional association football, footballer who played as a centre back. He is best known for winning Premier League with Leicester City FC and getting injured after a horrible ...

– piano * Slawomir Kurkiewicz – bass *

David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...

– guitar (tracks 1 & 12)

Technical personnel

Manfred Eicher Manfred Eicher (born 9 July 1943) is a German record producer and the founder of ECM Records. Life and career Eicher was born in Lindau, Germany. He studied music at the Academy of Music in Berlin. He started as a double-bass player of classi ...

– producer *James A. Farber – recording engineer *Sascha Kleis – design *Darius Khondji – photography

References

{{Authority control ECM Records albums Manu Katché albums 2007 albums Albums produced by Manfred Eicher