Gnu High

Gnu High, recorded in the mid 1970s and released on ECM, is an early leader date by trumpeter and flugelhornist Kenny Wheeler featuring Jan Garbarek on saxophone, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. The music pairs Wheeler's long, lyrical melodies and distinctive harmonic sense with spacious, open arrangements and intuitive collective improvisation, blending post-bop phrasing with freer, ambient textures. The album is often heard as a clear statement of Wheeler's compositional voice within the ECM aesthetic, emphasizing mood, space, and subtle interplay.