EBERHARD
WEBER
Selected Recordings: rarum XVIII
ECM
People throw around the term ‘chamber
jazz’ in reference to ECM Records’ eclectic
catalog of jazz and improvisational performers, and it is
true that, on the whole, the music produced by the label’s
artists tends to be understated, small ensemble music that
tends to sound like it would be more at home on the concert
stage than at a local dive. But many clearly haven’t
listened closely enough to ECM artists to hear the intensity
and drive in some of their recorded performances. An incredible
reminder of this is the excellent first track on the new
ECM :rarum release featuring bassist Eberhard Weber, “Nimbus,”
from guitarist and fellow ECM artist Ralph Towner’s
album Solstice. The piece starts out quietly and
stately enough, but the intensity that it builds as Weber
and drummer Jon Christensen bolster Towner’s 12-string
improvisations, is nothing short of a firestorm, equal in
its way to the fiery tension of the John Coltrane Quartet.
Weber’s is music that many have not
heard, but upon those that have it has left a lasting impression.
His debut album, Colors of Chloe, is spoken of
in reverential tones by those who recall purchasing a vinyl
copy and listening to it for the first time. Sadly, there
is nothing here from that album, but Weber has chosen a
really nice cross-selection of material to present here
as his ‘greatest hits.’
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Besides the work with Towner, there are two
tracks featuring guitarist Pat Metheny. “The Whopper”
also features vibraphonist Gary Burton, Dan Gottlieb on
drums, and dual bassists Weber and Steve Swallow. Originally
heard on Burton’s album Passengers, it is
a sunny piece in which Weber and Swallow manage to trade
their bass roles with ease without ever treading on each
other’s toes. It’s a bassists’ tour de
force, and no one can hear it and help marvel at the beauty
of the musicianship involved. The other Metheny track, “Watercolors”
comes from the Metheny album of the same name and features
Weber playing his double bass with a bow.
“Silent Feet” offers something
of the flavor of Weber’s famous “Cholors of
Chloe.” “In the late 70s, early 80s” says
Weber in his liner notes, “you took your time, played
‘endless’ introductions before finally getting
down to business. But that bothered nobody because it felt
right, because we had patience, a quality disappearing nowadays.”
It’s true: though some would consider such performances
to be self-indulgent, they still sound alright because they
grow organically out of the players’ feel for the
material, not from any misguided musical instinct. Rainer
Bruninghaus plays piano beautifully here, driven forward
by Weber’s lyrical bass work and drummer John Marshall’s
cymbal-driven tidal wave. With all of that, Charlie Mariano’s
soprano sax playing is icing on an already rich cake—but
what icing!
“Fluid Rustle” is generally considered
a high point in Weber’s recording career, and this
somewhat ambient piece featuring, for the first time, Bill
Frisell as well as Gary Burton playing marimba. Over its
seven-and-a-half minute time, the piece manages to include
some fine solo statements from Weber. The voice work is
by Norma Winstone, who overlaid chords of as many as 16
notes track by track nearly a decade before the vocal multitracking
of Enya, which has been referred to as ‘groundbreaking.’
Indeed!
“Maurizius” comes from work done
for a German television documentary and features Frissell
and pianist Lyle Mays. “I still consider it a waste
of ideas if a film or TV soundtrack that has obviously turned
out well can be heard only for the short duration of the
broadcast” says Weber in his liner notes. I have to
agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment!
Weber has done a great deal of work with saxophonist
Jan Garbarek over the years, and there are two Garbarek
tracks here to illustrate the fruition of that musical relationship.
“Gesture,” from Garabrek’s Wayfarer
album, is a sprightly tune that also features Bill
Frisell on guitar and Michael DiPasqua on drums and percussion.
The interplay between Garbarek and Weber is at times breathtaking,
and will satisfy anyone who enjoys hearing small ensembles
playing openly within a structured environment. The Garbarek
track “Her Wild Ways ” (from the album Rites),
featuring the most recent Garbarek Group lineup (Garbarek,
Weber, Rainer Bruninghaus on piano and Marilyn Mazur on
drums) offers similar pleasures in a slightly different
environment. It would be difficult to sum up the musical
relationship between Weber and Garbarek in just a couple
of tracks, so these are clearly pointers to those who will
feel compelled to hear more of their work together.
The remaining tracks are the bass solo “Closing
Scene” from Weber’s 1993 album Pendulum,
and “French Diary” from the 2000 release Endless
Days. “Closing Scene” provides a chance
to fully appreciate the melodic beauty as well as the fantastic
technical prowess and general artistry that Weber brings
to bear on his instrument. Though tape loops and other techniques
are used to create tracks that sound as though there are
several musicians playing on them, Weber constructs a multitextured
all-bass environment that is unlike much the listener has
heard before, yet which is not completely alien. It’s
a real tour de force performance. “French Diary”
is a Weber composition and arrangement on which he doesn’t
play, leaving the performance to a bassless group comprised
of Paul McCandless on soprano sax and English horn, Rainer
Bruninghaus on keyboards, and Michael DiPasqua on drums
and percussion. It’s a forward-looking piece that
is the perfect ending for a completely sublime program of
music. If you enjoy the ECM aesthetic and are interested
in hearing some gorgeous music featuring Weber playing his
trademark 5-string electric bass as well as acoustic, then
this is a must-have collection.
