The Sea

The Sea is a masterstroke from 1995 that meshes pianist Ketil Bjørnstad, cellist David Darling, guitarist Terje Rypdal, and drummer Jon Christensen for a session that epitomizes the vision of ECM producer and founder, Manfred Eicher. Eicher has a way of bringing together such groups as if it was the most natural thing to do, and the sheer inevitability of the music’s beauty across 12 variations on the titular theme is a testament to the power of in-the-moment interpretation. To say this sounds like nothing else would ignore the equally enchanting 1998 sequel, neither of which you should pass up.