EBERHARD WEBER

A second quartet pulled together by Eberhard for some November of recording dates in 1976 in Ludwigsburg, Deutschland. He include previous quartet collaborators Rainer Brüninghaus and Charlie Mariano as well as Nucleus/The Soft Machine drummer John Marshall sitting in the place occupied by Jon Christensen on the previous year's Yellow Fields. The result is magical.

1. "Seriously Deep" (17:47) besides benefitting from the amazing talents of Eberhard and John Marshall in the rhythm section, Rainer Brüninghaus' performance is one of his finest--not only in support of Charlie Mariano's beautiful and fluid saxophone soloing, but in his solo as well. (It is probably important to point out at this juncture that the man was only in his late 20s at the time of these sessions.) The melodic choices of the chord progression and soloists' themes throughout the middle section of this (Rainer and Eberhard, predominantly) are so gorgeous that I find myself fighting to hold back the flow of my tears. And it just keeps building and building as John's drumming becomes more and more animated, as Charlie rejoins and starts to soar into the stratosphere with his wonderful melodies and style. I wish this section never had to end! (I never thought I'd ever be able to like soprano saxophone ) The insistent play of John and Eberhard continue to remain at a high output level while Rainer and Charlie trade solos, finally turning into a duel--an all out war--in the 14th and 15th minutes, only starting to peter out in the sixteenth (though John shows no signs of tiring) and then settling down into a soft, gentle afterglow for the 17th and 18th, slowly taking us out to its compositional end. (33/35) 2. "Silent Feet" (12:10) the song starts out slowly, with contemplative Eberhard and Rainer each soloing off of one another. The conversation seems to become more delicate for a bit while John steps in to play his supportive cymbals after the first two minutes. Then, as Rainer seems to be carving out some momentum with his piano melodies, John begins to lay down some very jazzed up rock drumming. Rainer's piano phrasing and chord selection seem so much more dynamic and confident than he did two years before. And Charlie Mariano seems to effortlessly carve out such (to me) beautiful, upbeat and positve melodies, that I find myself brimming with emotion (and my eyes with tears) as I listen and re-listen to this song. And then there's the amazing repeat-glitch motif that starts at the eight-minute mark-- which John Marshall eventually takes advantage to add his creative cymbal play. But, disappointingly, in the 11th minute it develops into something more plodding, militaristic, and simplistic--almost pop musical like. The final minute is occupied with further development of this Mr. Rogers Neighborhood/"pop" theme by Rainer and Eberhard before drawing delicately to a close. (22.5/25)

3. "Eyes That Can See In The Dark" (12:19) there's that ocarina again! or is it an Indian flute? Both! accompanied by percussion noises coming from scratchings inside the body of a piano as well as those from odd metal percussion before real piano, real saxophone, real bass and bowed bass, and real cymbals from a drum kit set up take over the provision of slowly-developing, slow-played melody of long-held notes and delicate cymbal play in support. Finally, at 5:20, Rainer's piano and John's cymbal pattern signal a turn into some real jazz, which is joined by Eberhard's buoyant and bubbly "underwater" fretless double bass play. Rainer's play is beautiful but it is Eberhard's unusual and unique phrasings that pull on the listener's attention. Charlie finally re-enters at the eight-minute mark with a gorgeous soprano saxophone melody that is doubled up by Rainer's piano. John's drum play--especially the snare--is a bit too rock 'n' roll for me--especially as Charlie goes soaring into the stratosphere à la Jerome Richardson on Gino Vannelli's "Storm at Sunup." I love how beautifully-melodic all of the musicians stay with and in support of Charlie's wonderful play. Now this is the kind of jazz I can get into and really enjoy! At 11:15 John cuts out and Eberhard moves to bowing technique as the band return to long-held note play to the finish. There are some real exuberant and joy-filled parts of this song--especially when Charlie is flying around on his sax--and then there are the "artful" patches of theme-suiting play that was obviously created for theatric effect (the two-minute intro). Overall, I come away with a very positive feeling--having thoroughly enjoyed the six minutes of upbeat, uptempo, beautifully-melodic in the second half-- especially the Charlie Mariano-led section. My favorite piece on the album. (23/25)

Total time 42:16

It feels as if there has been significant maturation of the playing styles of Charlie, Rainer, and Eberhard in the two years since their previous quartet album, Yellow Fields, sessions. As much as I love the drumming of John Marshal with Nucleus and The Soft Machine, and as awesome as he is on the opening song, "Seriously Deep," I think Jon Christensen was a better fit for Eberhard's music. And yet, as a whole, I love the use of so many more-accessible melodies and themes on this album. I do have to add the approbatory comment that I can think of few jazz or predominantly-jazz albums that I've heard in my lifetime in which the whole-band's melodic sensibilities connects with me, personally, as well as this one. Though each long suite is jinxed by less-than-pleasing parts, the overall impression left on me after each listening of this album (or even each of its individual songs) is one of joy, excitement, and exhilaration, which says something, right? What's more, these sentiments have only increased with each and every listen to the music--with headphones and without! Could this be my favorite Eberhard Weber album of all-time? Until recently, I'd never even given much of a chance to any of Eberhard's albums because of my undying and devoted love of The Following Morning, but hearing his performances as a sideman on those

A/five stars; a masterpiece of mature and calculated Jazz-Rock Fusion that comes across as something totally fresh and unique. What a great trio are Eberhard Weber, Rainer Brüninghaus, and Charlie Mariano! True simpaticos!

With the creation of 1976's Yellow Fields we find Eberhard returning to a jazz combo/quartet format for the exposition of the exploration of his rather unique musical ideas. It helps that he has chosen three of my very, very favorite European jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion musicians as his collaborators.

1. "Touch" (4:58) I am not usually much of a fan of the saxophone but Charlie Mariano has a rare gift for playing with sound and style that rarely irks my sensitive nervous system. Eberhard's underwater bass is the second most attention-grabbing performer here while Rainer and Jon do excellent work holding down the rhythmic foundation of an eminently-enjoyable song. (9.3333/10) 2. "Sand-Glass" (15:40) with a tuned percussion melody that sounds Gamelan (and, thus, marimba), Jon, Eberhard, and Rainer create a peaceful if-oddly-melodized foundation within which bass, Fender Rhodes, soprano sax, and even Jon's cymbal work have plenty of room to add infinitely creative and never-overdone flourishes, flashes, nuances, undertones and overtones. At the end of the fifth minute Charlie switches to the nasally sound of the shehnai for his soloing for about two and a half minutes. Then it's back to his soprano sax--here doubled up--before giving way to Rainer's Fender Rhodes. The creative, fluid play of Eberhard on his underwater bass is so unusual--and yet prepares one for the sounds and stylings he dominates with on his next album, The Following Morning (my favorite of his). Jon Christensen really shines in this section of the song: truly playing off of his band mates and their own expressions of fervor and subtlety. The style subtly shifts over the course of the 12th minute as Eberhard and Jon change their approach to more of a straightforward rock-like bass-and-drum team approach while Rainer continues his almost-too- subtle/gentle Fender Rhodes play. (He really could have stepped up more--or the engineers could have mixed him in front of the cymbals, Gamelan marimba, and bass instead of burying him in the back. A pretty decent composition that shows some of the exploration Eberhard was into at the time--and which he will improve upon/perfect on future albums. (26.5/30)

3. "Yellow Fields" (10:05) I hear a LOT of CHICK COREA and RETURN TO FOREVER in the structure and performances of this song--especially from Rainer and Jon; Eberhard and Charlie sound more like they're from WEATHER REPORT. Therefore, I call this a clever merger of the two, something that could only be managed by four absolute virtuosos of their instruments--which we have here. The only thing really missing from this tune are hooks that anchor themselves in the listener's memory. (17.75/20)

4. "Left Lane" (13:35) with extended sections with only Rainer and Eberhard playing with and off of each other, this one really preps the listener for the duo's next album, The Following Morning on which there will be no drumming, loads of lush orchestration, as well as plenty of areas, like this, where the two are left alone in a large, starkly-empty space. Eberhard convinces Rainer to back down from an extended solo with the establishment of a structured bass line that ushers Jon and Charlie back into the jazz mix, with Charlie taking the lead with his rapid-fire spewing of notes on his soprano sax. At the ten-minute mark Charlie relinquishes the lead for Rainer's Fender Rhodes. It's a nice solo, egged on by Jon and Eberhard's flawless though relentless encouragement. Nice. Charlie returns to a subdued lead for the final ninety seconds, being joined in the last minute by tracks of his nadaswaram and shehnai until the song's slow final fadeout. (26.66667/30)

Total time 44:18

B+/four stars; an excellent addition to any Jazz or Jazz-Rock Fusion lover's music collections. Recommended if mostly for the magnificent displays of virtuosity from all four of the contributors.

After a decade of learning and growing under the guidance and support of artists like Wolfgang Dauner, George Gruntz, Baden Powell, Art Van Damme, Stéphane Grappelli, Rolf Kuhn, Michael Naura, and Volker Kriegel, one of the jazz's most unique, most creative bass players in history finally strikes out on his own. Praise be ECM Records, Eberhard's new and now-forever label.

1. "More Colours" (6:40) the minimalist orchestrated music with Eberhard's inventive "piccolo" bass techniques and Rainer Brünignhaus' piano ministrations, all of which they would perfect for Side One of The Following Morning but here only sound weird, separated, and not very melodic or pretty. (13.125/10) 2. "The Colours of Chloë" (7:45) cello, piano, and sounding like the inspiration for Brian Eno's first two or three Ambient Music records--unitl 1:40, that is, when cymbals, bass, and synth take over with a truly Jazz-Rock Fusion motif (despite having very little rhythm base--future Pat Metheny-like stuff). Then, at the end of the third minute piano and, later, bowed strings, provide a floating fabric for Eberhard to play his echoing double bass. Beautiful stuff that turns jazzier when Eberhard and Ralf Hübner's drums start playing a more traditional jazz rhythm track for Rainer to really go to work with some stunning modern jazz piano playing. A very cool and innovative song--both in structure and sound palette execution. Manfred Eicher's touch definitely counts for something, as well. (14/15)

3. "An Evening with Vincent van Ritz" (5:46) two minutes of moody bass and mid-range strings taking us through a repeated slow progression of four chords, over and over, as Gisela Schäube sings choir-like wordless vocalese over(within) the weave--until the two-minute mark when a dynamic jazz combo of Latin-infused drumming, wild- walking bass, and chord-hopping Fender Rhodes sets a motif up beneath the trumpet soloing of Ack van Rooyen. Though coordinated and together, each of the four musicians are quite adventurous and expressive in their performances, start to finish, but then at 5:08 we're cut back into the opening motif as if the middle jazz combo section never happened. Weird. One song inside another. (8.875/10)

4. "No Motion Picture" (19:56) opens as if Eberhard and Rainer had been a part of Terry Riley's 1960s experimental adventures into what we now call Minimalism. A minute is given to each round of the presented motif and then it's like they just push the reset/restart button--until 2:30 when everybody takes a sudden left turn into a plodding Fender Rhodes chord progression beneath which Peter Giger provides wave-like cymbal crashes and some kind of flute/recorder sound (it's Eberhard's ocarina!) generates an airy near-droning lead melody up top. At 3:45 Eberhard is let out of his cage while the others stop to rest (and observe) as the composer explores his new freedom over the fretboard of his double bass. What did Eberhard use to create this distinctive, perhaps unique, sound that now becomes his signature? By the end of the sixth minute we've shifted back to some variations on the opening two themes (the Terry Riley minimalism and the plodding ocarina motif). Nice, engaging slow descending chord progressions carry this forward until Rainer's Fender Rhodes (and the ECM engineers) sweetly bridges us into a motif with piano and electric piano making harmonizing arpeggi in the upper registers. I like this section, all piano, very much. (I've always like Rainer Brüninghaus' piano play: his melodic choices have a real deep and profound connection to my soul!) In the 12th minute it feels as if he's starting to climb out of it: so cool! So beautiful. Again, I can see where Brian Eno and Harold Budd (and maybe Philip Glass) got some of their inspiration. The Terry Riley/Soft Machine "Out- Bloody-Rageous" section that ensues is pretty cool, and then it's followed by a sparse drum and percussion solo section that sounds greatly inspired by African and Caribbean instrument sounds and stylings--for a bout two minutes--before revolving back to the Terry Riley/Soft Machine-like motif. Marimba leads the next percussion section starting at 14:30 and then once more back to the Riley-Softs motif with bass, horn, and synths now participating in the weave--before yet another unexpected return to the ploddingly-slow ocarina motif at 16:05. More varied and developed recapitulations of previously exposed themes carry the tune to its end. Wow! What an odd, unusual ride! The most striking thing about this 20-minute song is how odd and hodge-podged all of the various expositions, developments, and recapitulations of the movements are; it's just like a symphony, only a weird one! I like it--very much--though I think they could have improved a few parts (why ocarina?) My favorite movement is, however, the five minutes in the middle (~7:00 to 12:00) when Rainer Brüninghaus is alone (with himself). (36.75/40)

Total time 40:07

While I am greatly appreciative of the creative sound and structural designs of Eberhard and, to a lesser extent, Manfred Eicher (I actually think his and engineers Martin Wieland and Kurt Rapp's editing is one of the more disappointing and detracting elements of these songs: they are no Teo Maceros), I do find the music of his successive albums, Yellow Fields, The Following Morning, and Fluid Rustle far more accessible and enjoyable. Still, Eberhard was 34-years old at the time of making this album: mature enough to know what he liked, as well as to compose some well-thought-out creations. This would be only the beginning of his peak period of masterful creations.

A-/4.5 stars; a flawed but ultimately impressive minor masterpiece of boundary-pushing Jazz-Rock Fusion.

This album was released in 1969 and it has no title, but it is commonly referred to as the "Fur" album. Simply because the first word at the top of the album cover is "Fur", which is German for "For", and that is followed with a long list of names that the album is dedicated to. And no band name either, as they just went with the names of the four musicians. And who are these musicians you ask. Well, Wolfgang Dauner is the leader here, composing all but one track. He plays keyboards mostly but adds a little trombone and violin. His buddy Eberhard Weber is here on bass and cello. Both would be a part of ET CETERA, a band who released their debut in 1971.

And the drummer here is Fred Braceful who was also part of ET CETETRA, and later he would also be in EX MAGMA. The unknown for me was Jurgen Karg also playing bass. In fact on one track both he and Weber play bass. What fascinates me is that the only track on here that Dauner didn't compose was that third song called "Karg", which of course was a Karg composition. Fascinating because it's the only electronic piece on here. And Karg would drop his bass not long after this 1969 recording to focus on electronics, and becoming quite influential with his only solo release in 1978.

These four guys had already played together on Dauner's 1967 solo album called "Free Action" which was a Free Jazz record. It's also interesting to me that half of this band which included Braceful and Weber, would make an album in 1971 called "The Call". Karg and Dauner were replaced by two keyboardists, not needing two bass players this time. Again they went with their names as the band name, and we get Mal Waldron, a legendary electric piano player in the Jazz world leading the way. And speaking of legendary how about Jimmy Jackson from Pennsylvania on organ. And this is a straight-up jazz fusion album I gave 4.5 stars to. An incredible album! Jimmy has played in bands like AMON DUUL II, EMBRYO, PASSPORT and more.

Now I have to say that "Fur" is a tough one for me. Very experimental with lots of improvisation going on. It's like an extension of Dauner's 1967 record which was Free Jazz, and with a dedicated sax and clarinet player. It's interesting that that album has two drummers playing on it. Besides Braceful we get the future GURU GURU drummer Mani Neumeier doing his thing. And also Jean-Luc Ponty on violin! All playing Free jazz. Anyway, back to this 1969 album which is not for the faint of heart. Not much in the way of melody or even structure here. This is a very experimental album that one would probably want to keep in their Avant section. I wish "The Call" was on this site. They added "Fur" to Weber's discography thankfully.

Eberhard Weber's father was a classically trained cellist, making a living that way. He started to teach his son Eberhard how to play the cello at six years of age, but much later when the high school band needed a bass player, he took up that instrument as a teenager. The man has absolute command of these two instruments, and he went as far as customizing his bass to be both acoustic and electric. You guys know I love the connections that musicians have with each other, and with Eberhard I always connect him with Wolfgang Dauner. They formed ET CETERA in the mid sixties, and by the time Weber released "The Colours Of Chloe", his first for the ECM label, ten years had passed.

The lineup on this album is a testimony to Weber's talent and influence. Another musician besides Dauner who has been with Eberhard a lot, is keyboardist Rainer Bruninghaus. Before I get to him I also want to mention Jan Garbarek who took Weber under his wing and he has been like Weber's boss for decades(haha). But Bruninghaus on keyboards is huge. He was part of the Kraut/Jazz band called EILIFF who released two adventerous albums in the early seventies. This band had two very serious musicians in Rainer and guitarist Houschang Nejadepour.

We get drummer Peter Giger who I know from DRUM CIRCUS. We also get the SUDFUNK SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA which consists of cellos. A female choir singer, and how about Ack Van Rooyen on flugelhorn! The man was part of the UNITED JAZZ + ROCK ENSEMBLE in the second half of the seventies that Eberhard would be part of along with Dauner, and a bunch of legends really. And while this record has ECM written all over it, this is so much more than that. This album crosses some lines in my opinion when it comes to that label. And because Eberhard dared to let his hair down, sort to speak, we get my favourite solo album right here, from this talented man.

At this point I also want to mention an album called "The Call" from 1969 that Weber was part of with Freddie Braceful, Mal Waldron and Jimmy Jackson, which I like more than "The Colours Of Chloe". Eberhard's wife Maja did the cover art here by the way. So we get four tracks worth 40 minutes. The shorter pieces are more in line with the ECM sounds for the most part but that 20 minute side long suite is a statement. I just find this recording to be so brilliant the way he has it all set up.

The symphony orchestra is almost distant sounding much of the time, creating a layer, atmosphere if you will. The female vocalist with the wordless singing is such a highlight. Then Rainer on keys adds so much. The electronics, the electric piano, along with the more sedate ECM sounds of acoustic piano, reveal the two sides of this album. This is far more adventerous than most stuff I've heard on this record label besides Terje Rydal.

So after the first two tracks "More Colours" and "The Colours Of Chloe" which are very ECM sounding we get "An Evening With Vincent van Ritz". The final track of side one is where they break out of the sedate with electric piano and flugelhorn bringing Fusion to mind. Orchestral sounds and female vocals too. "No Motion Picture" at 20 minutes has repeated themes, and how about the electronics raining down at times. That bass is in your face here as well. There's that celestial atmosphere 13 minutes in then back to repeated themes.

This is an absolute classic that I feel breaks some rules along the way, which doesn't surprise me with Eberhard Weber at the controls.

The musical content of this dull looking compilation is a great delight to a listener who appreciates the European chamber jazz of the ECM label. The long artist bio here is very detailed and well written, but I'll start by giving some basic information anyway: German double bass maestro Eberhard Weber is among ECM's key artists. In his recording career starting from the early 70's Weber has been both the leader -- sometimes even the sole musician --and a collaborator on albums of other ECM artists (in addition of pop/rock artists such as Kate Bush), and this cd covers both areas.

'Nimbus', taken from guitarist RALPH TOWNER's album Solstice (1974), centers at first on 12-string guitar and features also Jan Garbarek and drummer Jon Christensen. 'The Whopper' (from GARY BURTON's Passengers, 1976) is composed by the featured guitarist Pat Metheny. The bright and laid-back piece contains soli for el.guitar and Burton's vibraharp. Needless to say that Weber's superb bass playing is present on each track. 'Oasis' (PAT METHENY, Watercolors, 1977) is a minor-key tune centering on acoustic guitar.

Weber has composed roughly half of the cd's material. The peaceful title track of his album Fluid Rustle (1979) is mesmerizing, with Burton's vibraharp, Bill Frisell's guitar and wordless singing by Norma Winstone & Bonnie Herman. Along the compilation one hears also elegant piano of Lyle Mays and Rainer Bruninghaus, and breezy soprano sax by Paul McCandless of the band Oregon and Weber's central employer JAN GARBAREK, whose album Wayfarer (1983) is represented by 'Gesture'.

An excellent compilation, recommendable to anyone enjoying thoughtful, calm and richly nuanced music for mainly acoustic instruments, not only for jazz/fusion enthusiasts.

Beautiful and touching and very dynamic insturmental jazzfusion music with some folk and prog elements.

The music is reminiscent to Bundles-era Soft Machine but it stands on its own. Very nice interplay between sax, piano, upright bass and the versatile drumming of John Marshall. The most solos are played by the saxophonist, but the music as a whole provides plenty of space for all involved to give their best and their most.

What touches me the most is the beautiful artwork by Maja Weber. My vinyl-version has an extra insert with more of her beautiful artwork. It really adds to the sensation. Both aural and visual.

I can absolutely recommend this album. Almost all Eberhard's albums are excellent, but to me this album is his best.

A solid followup to The Colours of Chloe finds whispers of the "ECM Jazz" style that Weber would eventually settle into, but the album is still rather wilder and woolier than is typical of the label, combining the fusion chops of the likes of weather report with a sense of playfulness which, whilst not going fully into Canterbury territory, feels like you can potentially see the back garden of Gilgamesh or the Muffins if you found a tall place in the Yellow Fields to look from. You can tell its the real deal 1970s stuff because Rainer Brueninghaus' mellotron is such a signature instrument, particularly in the opening Touch that leads into the wide fusion vistas of Sand-Glass.

All the colors of marbles.

An amazingly balanced 4 track release which is both traditional and yet way out of its time. Few musicians could actually bring on fresh as new alternate routes to these quiet walked Jazz/Fusion roads.

Eberhard Weber's "The Colours of Chloe", 1974, is full of daring surprises.

Track one "More Colours" has a symphonic melodramatic even cinematic quality as it also strips naked to solitary acoustic bass pluckings, as a runaway piano blends in to counterpoint the symphonic flow, which may also serve as a filter of the kind of Jazz/Fusion colors Eberhard Weber is talking about and these are not exactly mainstream ones. 3.5 stars.

Track two "The Colours of Chloe" is, for starters, the perfect blend between some Progressive Electronic elements which fit in with a more traditional Jazz/Fusion styling and its pertinent instumentation without submitting its electronic value but actually enhancing it as its true to the bone Jazz accomplice while the bass guitar provides really good dynamics and more than once one of the many highlights of the song at the time the piano structures the main theme line with colorful splendor and the strings built up the emotional mood. 4.5 stars.

The trumpet marks the melody and rhythm on track 3 "An Evening With Vincent Van Ritz" with complex drum beats building the dynamic tension while the obscure strings' melody monumentally cast a shadow subtly over the final theme's notes. 4 stars

Track 4 "No Motion Picture" the 5 stars track of this release, takes off where its younger Track 2 sibling left. It has the added bonus of reloading previous highlights and mixing them all at once. But above all it beholds a more personal and unique approach to the whole Jazz/Fusion styling.

This track is divided in 3 movements in a strict classical music sense, therefore its overture serves also as its closure.

In the first part the electric keys as the bass guitar's work set the melody lines for the rest of the ensemble to fall in.

The second movement is the acoustic piano's showcase aided by a creative and quiet obscure string/choir work which eventually builds the coda of the composition.

All in all adventurous, original, highly enjoyable and full of intelligent songwriting, devoid of any kind of mainstream cliches usually found in these Jazz/Fusion territories.

****4 PA stars.

For this album Eberhard Weber debuted his short-lived backing band Colours. Saxnan and flute friend Charlie Mariano and keyboard wizard Rainer Brüninghaus had backed Weber on the preceding Yellow Fields; the ensemble was rounded out by John Marshall, who had just left Soft Machine. The blend of talents and backgrounds proves to be an apt one; Marshall, in particular, seems to benefit from working with a fresh new project, the Soft Machine having rather run its course by this point. The sound of the album seems to be solidly rooted in the ECM jazz style that had become Weber's trademark by this point, but the capable performances from all concerned keeps things interesting.