the art of ECM record covers (part two)

The independent record label ECM – Edition of Contemporary Music – was founded by producer Manfred Eicher in 1969, and to date has issued more than 1700 albums spanning many idioms.

ECM’s distinctive cover art is a collaborative effort, but prominent artists include Barbara Wojirsch and her late husband Burkhart Wojirsch, who handled much of the early design, and Dieter Rehm, who contributed significant photography and design work from 1978 onward. Other photographers like Lajos Keresztes and Max Franosch have also contributed. 

The wonderful thing about ECM Jazz is they record their music in high quality, just like classical music is recorded. So you get brilliant jazz music at a high quality. Gavin.

the clutter family murders

For me this is one of the worst crimes of all time. I remember seeing ‘In Cold Blood’ for the first time in the 90s and I was shocked to my core.

In the early morning of November 15, 1959, four members of the Clutter family – Herb Clutter, his wife, Bonnie, and their teenage children Nancy and Kenyon – were murdered in their rural home just outside the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas.

set in stone (part two)

I first time I realized I had something set in stone was when I was in my early twenties and I was a vegetarian.

There is nothing wrong with being vegetarian. For some people it’s a healthy choice and lifestyle.

But for me it was an Identity, not a lifestyle choice, so I had an investment in BEING vegetarian.

What happened was: I went to a vegetarian restaurant/cafe with a good friend. We loved going to this place as the food was delicious. Somewhere during the meal, we were chatting about rice, and my friend said: “rice is a vegetable”.

Suddenly I found myself feeling VERY offended. The feelings were overwhelming, and I was SO angry and so upset by a small comment: “well rice is a vegetable”.

I will never forget that day. I didn’t say anything to my friend because I knew I was in the wrong, and what he had said was innocent.

Fast forward to 2025 and I do my very best not to have things set in stone, so that people cannot upset me.

the three major things that come to mind when thinking about this issue are…

  • politics: if your politics and your identity is caught together, you will be offended if someone thinks or feels different to you.
  • religion: If what you believe in and who you are R caught together you may get offended if someone believes something different to you.
  • sex: because sexuality is something so close to us, we can find ourselves easily offended.

I have a friend who has a long list of things that are set in stone for him.

  • Vaccines cause brain injury
  • Donald Trump
  • Extreme Right Wing
  • Climate change is a hoax
  • Google is evil
  • DMSO
  • Red light therapy
  • RFK ….and I’m sure there is more.

I respect each one of those choices, but for him he believes he has to actively defend those beliefs…and will do so with anger and aggression.

The only thing set in stone for me is God, but it’s not connected to organized religion, so there is nothing anyone can say about God that will upset me.

Everything else is as it is. I have no investment in anything or concept or practice or philosophical beliefs. I am free. G