Jan Garbarek - Works (1984)

This limited edition, 'Works Series', gives a reasonable overview of Garbarek's prolific output on ECM over a period of ten years (1970-80). Unusually, three of the eight tracks showcase him playing flute, which would be a rarity now, and both his tenor & soprano sax work is also featured.
His discography lists 16 albums in the accompanying booklet, but with a running time of just over 50 minutes, this means that some of his classic albums, such as 'Belonging', 'Wichi-Tai-To', and 'Red Lanta', don't feature at all. However, there are still some very fine performances here, from his astringent 'Beast of Kommodo', taken from his early 'Afric Pepperbird' album, through the exquisitely beautiful 'Viddene' from 'Dis' (featuring 'windharp'), 'Passing' from 'Places' (with Connors guitar & Taylor's organ), 'Svende' from the lovely 'Dansere' (Stenson on piano), to the charming 'Folk Song' from the album of the same name.
If you're unfamiliar with Garbarek's work, or only his recent output, this collection underlines the rich variety of his early ECM years, and should tempt you to explore some of these fine albums further. Sound quality is as good as you might expect, though notes are limited to personnel, instruments, track lengths, and relevant album details. However, this is a limited edition, and may become collectable in its own right. A good 'starter album'!