Audiopile Review: While the ECM label has come back into fashion recently, there are still common misconceptions about Manfred Eicher’s legendary labour of love. These often centre on an oversimplified view of ECM’s trajectory. That would go something like: avant-garde 70s, new-age 80s, jazz-school everything else. But it’s ridiculous to write off post-1990 ECM. The label has continued to release an extraordinary number of albums, many of which are brilliant, and some of which are honestly quite challenging. Also, Eicher has continued to foster a stable of new talent, developing phenomenal artists like sometime-Arooj Aftab collaborator Vijay Iyer. Of these latter-day ECM mainstays, Anouar Brahem is surely the greatest. Brahem is an oud player from Tunisia who trades in a hauntingly beautiful acoustic-ambient-ethno-fusion. His first album in eight years, ‘After the Last Sky’, really hits the spot and features a top-tier band, including veteran ECM bassist Dave Holland. As ever, Eicher’s production is the sonic equivalent of fresh mountain air, and a perfect counterpoint to Brahem’s smoky, nocturnal sound. If you’ve been digging into the early years of ECM, you’re going to be bowled over by how ‘After the Last Sky’ complement’s the label’s considerable legacy.

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Eight years after Blue Maqams, Anouar Brahem returns with a poignant project, titled after a line of verse by poet Mahmoud Darwish, which asks “Where should the birds fly, after the last sky?” Graceful chamber pieces for oud, cello, piano and bass subtly address the metaphysical question and its broad resonances in a troubled time. While drawing upon the traditional modes of Arab music, Brahem has consistently sought to engage with the wider world, too, and found inspiration in many sources from different cultures. Bassist Dave Holland and pianist Django Bates are again part of the Tunisian oud master’s international quartet, joined now by cellist Anja Lechner. Brahem’s rapport with Holland – first established on the Thimar album of 1998 – is meanwhile legendary. “Dave’s playing gives me wings,” Anouar has said, an observation that materializes repeatedly across the record. Django Bates’ piano, an important supportive force throughout, contributes swirling solos. The album marks the first time that Anouar has included a cellist in his group music. Anja Lechner, a leading voice in the recording, has long been conversant with Brahem’s compositions and included them in her own recitals. The cello is given the first and last statements here. “After the Last Sky” was recorded at Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI in May 2024, and produced by Manfred Eicher. The album is issued as the Brahem quartet embarks on a European tour with concerts in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium.