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Universal Syncopations
Studio album by Miroslav Vitouš
Released	September 29, 2003
Recorded	2002 & March 2003
Studio	Universal Syncopation Studios, Italy (2002) Rainbow Studios, Oslo (2003)
Genre	Jazz
Length	53:32
Label	ECM ECM 1863
Producer	Manfred Eicher
Miroslav Vitouš chronology
Atmos (1993) Universal Syncopations (2003) Universal Syncopations II (2007)

Universal Syncopations is an album by Czech jazz bassist Miroslav Vitouš recorded between 2002–2003 and released on ECM later that year.

Reception

Universal Syncopations was received positively by critics upon release, with John Fordham describing it, in his review for The Guardian, as "a wonderful contemporary jazz set in which all the players reconsider their histories to maximise the intensity of the present." In a similarly positive review, Thom Jurek of AllMusic wrote, "Universal Syncopations is by turns a return to not the old forms, but rather to the manner of illustrating harmonic concepts in a quintet setting that allows for a maximum space between ensemble players while turning notions of swing, counterpoint, and rhythmic invention on their heads... Universal Syncopations is one of the most gorgeous sounding and toughly played dates of the calendar year."

Not all critics were as emphatically positive about the release. Writing for the BBC, Peter Marsh acknowledged the exceptional individual musical performances, but thought that there was at times a 'lack of cohesion' in the ensemble playing, making Universal Syncopations 'a bit of a disappointment'.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings
The Guardian

Track listing

All compositions by Miroslav Vitouš except as indicated.

1. "Bamboo Forest" - 4:37
2. "Univoyage" - 10:54
3. "Tramp Blues" - 5:19
4. "Faith Run" - 4:58
5. "Sun Flower" - 7:21
6. "Miro Bop" - 4:03
7. "Beethoven" (Jan Garbarek, Vitouš) - 7:18
8. "Medium" (Jack DeJohnette, Vitouš) - 5:09
9. "Brazil Waves" (Garbarek, Vitouš) - 4:26

Personnel

• Miroslav Vitouš – double bass
• Jan Garbarek – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
• Chick Corea – piano
• John McLaughlin – guitar
• Jack DeJohnette – drums
• Wayne Bergeron – trumpet (tracks 2-4)
• Valery Ponomarev – trumpet, flugelhorn (tracks 2-4)
• Isaac Smith – trombone (tracks 2-4)

Chart performance

References

1. "Universal Syncopations". ECM.
2. ECM discography accessed October 14, 2011
3. ^ Fordham, John (2003-10-03). "Vitous/Garbarek/McLaughlin/Corea/DeJohnette, Universal Syncopations". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
4. ^ Jurek, T. Allmusic Review accessed October 14, 2011
5. Marsh, Peter. "BBC - Music - Review of Miroslav Vitous - Universal Syncopation". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
6. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1452. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
7. "Universal Syncopations - Miroslav Vitous | Awards | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 5 November 2013.

• ECM Records albums
• Miroslav Vitouš albums
• 2003 albums
• Albums produced by Manfred Eicher