Eberhard Weber is a German musician who plays the double bass and writes music. He is recognized for his unique sound and style of playing. His compositions mix elements of chamber jazz, European classical music, minimalism, and ambient music. These works are considered typical examples of the ECM Records style.

Early life

Weber was born on January 22, 1940, in Stuttgart, Germany. His father was a music teacher, so Weber received classical music training from a young age. He started learning the cello when he was 6 years old. He began playing the double bass in high school at age 16. His music teacher needed someone to play the bass, and Weber volunteered.

Early in his career, Weber met pianist Wolfgang Dauner. They worked together for many years. They met while both were performing at the Düsseldorf Amateur Jazz Festival.

Career

Weber began recording music in the early 1960s. In 1973, he released The Colours of Chloë (ECM 1042), which was his first record under his own name. In addition to being a musician, Weber worked for many years as a television and theater director.

Weber joined the band Spectrum with musician Dave Pike and Volker Kriegel. He left the band shortly after joining because he felt the band was focusing too much on rock music. He also wanted to explore a new instrument, the solid-body electric double bass, which he had started playing. He was one of the first musicians to use this instrument regularly, adding a fifth string to it.

From the early 1960s to the early 1970s, Weber’s closest musical partnership was with pianist Wolfgang Dauner. Together, they worked on many projects that included mainstream jazz, jazz-rock fusion, and experimental sound projects. During this time, Weber also played and recorded with pianists Hampton Hawes and Mal Waldron, guitarists Baden Powell de Aquino and Joe Pass, The Mike Gibbs Orchestra, violinist Stephane Grappelli, and many others.

Starting with The Colours of Chloë, Weber released 13 more records under his own name, all on the ECM label. His work with ECM also led to collaborations with other artists, such as Gary Burton (Ring, 1974; Passengers, 1976), Ralph Towner (Solstice, 1975; Solstice/Sound and Shadows, 1977), Pat Metheny (Watercolors, 1977), and Jan Garbarek (10 recordings between 1978 and 1998).

In the mid-1970s, Weber formed his own group, Colours, with Charlie Mariano (soprano saxophone, flutes), Rainer Brüninghaus (piano, synthesizer), and Jon Christensen (drums). After their first recording, Yellow Fields (1975), Christensen left and was replaced by John Marshall. The group toured widely and recorded two more albums, Silent Feet (1977) and Little Movements (1980), before ending their collaboration.

Since the early 1980s, Weber has frequently worked with British singer-songwriter Kate Bush, appearing on four of her last six studio albums: The Dreaming (1982), Hounds of Love (1985), The Sensual World (1989), and Aerial (2005).

During the 1980s, Weber toured with Barbara Thompson’s jazz ensemble, Paraphernalia.

Since 1990, Weber’s touring has been limited. He has released only two new recordings under his own name: Endless Days (2001), which blends jazz and classical music styles, and a live concert titled Stages of a Long Journey (2005), recorded on his 65th birthday with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and featuring Gary Burton, Wolfgang Dauner, and Jan Garbarek. In 2009, ECM re-released his albums Yellow Fields, Silent Feet, and Little Movements as a 3-CD collection titled Colours.

Weber has used titles from the book Watership Down by Richard Adams for some of his compositions and albums. Examples include “Silent Feet” and “Eyes That Can See in the Dark” from the Silent Feet album; “Often in the Open” from the Later That Evening album; and “Quiet Departures” and “Fluid Rustle” from the Fluid Rustle album.

Medical issues

On April 23, 2007, Weber had a stroke while on tour with the Jan Garbarek Group, a group he had been part of for 25 years. Weber said he felt "something indefinable going on." He called his manager and paramedics, who checked him in his hotel room but found no serious issues. Weber continued to his soundcheck and noticed "unusual intonation problems," which led him to visit the hospital again for further examination. In his autobiography, Weber wrote that the hospital lost power several times during his stay, and he could not get an MRI until the next day because of unstable electricity. The MRI showed that he had indeed suffered a stroke.

Weber described his experience after the stroke, including his physical therapy. He believed he would recover in time for the next part of the tour. However, he was unable to play the bass again. In early 2007, Yuri Daniel replaced him in the Jan Garbarek Group.

In a January 2010 interview with Die Welt, Weber discussed his medical condition and future projects.

Post-stroke career

In November 2009, Weber received the Albert Mangelsdorff-Preis. That same month, ECM Records released a box set containing his works from the 1970s.

Weber’s most recent albums, Résumé (2012) and Encore (2015), include solo recordings from his performances with The Jan Garbarek Group. These recordings were combined with additional keyboard and treatment work by Weber, saxophone by Garbarek, and flügelhorn by Ack Van Rooyen.

Weber’s autobiography, Résumé, was published in 2015. An English version titled Heidi Kirk – Eberhard Weber: A German Jazz Story was released in October 2021.

Influence

In 2021, a 13-minute recording titled Eberhard by the late Lyle Mays was released after his death. The piece was revised from a composition he created in 2009, which was first performed at Lawrence University. It was written as a tribute to Weber's significant musical style. In 2022, the recording won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition.

Discography

• The Colours of Chloë (1974)
• Yellow Fields (1975)
• The Following Morning (1976)
• Silent Feet (1977)
• Fluid Rustle (1979)
• Little Movements (1980)
• Later That Evening (1982)
• Chorus (1984)
• Orchestra (1988)
• Pendulum (1993)
• Endless Days (2001)
• Stages of a Long Journey (2007)
• Résumé (2012)
• Encore (2015)
• Hommage à Eberhard Weber (2015)
• Once Upon a Time (Live in Avignon) (2021)

• Works (ECM, 1985)
• Rarum: Selected Recordings (ECM, 2004)
• Colours (ECM, 2010) (a collection that includes Yellow Fields, Silent Feet, and Little Movements)

• Ring (ECM, 1974)
• Passengers (ECM, 1976)

• The Dreaming (1982)
• Hounds of Love (1985)
• The Sensual World (1989)
• Aerial (2005)

• Photo with Blue Sky, White Cloud, Wires, Windows and a Red Roof (ECM, 1979)
• Paths, Prints (ECM, 1981)
• Wayfarer (ECM, 1983)
• It's OK to Listen to the Gray Voice (ECM, 1985)
• All Those Born with Wings (ECM, 1987)
• Legend of the Seven Dreams (ECM, 1988)
• I Took Up the Runes (ECM, 1990)
• Twelve Moons (ECM, 1992)
• Visible World (ECM, 1995)
• Rites (ECM, 1998)

• Watercolors (ECM, 1977)

• Solstice (ECM, 1975)
• Solstice/Sound and Shadows (ECM, 1977)

• The Call (JAPO, 1971)

See "External links" below for a complete discography

• Wolfgang Dauner: Dream Talk (1964), Free Action (1967), Output (1970), The Oimels (1970)
• Hampton Hawes: Hamps' Piano (1967)
• Baden Powell: Poema en Guitar (1968), Solitude on Guitar (1971)
• Joe Pass: Intercontinental (1970)
• Michael Naura: Vanessa (1974) & Call (1975)
• Ernest Ranglin: Ranglypso (1976), MPS
• Stephane Grappelli: Afternoon in Paris (1971)
• The Singers Unlimited with Art Van Damme: Invitation (1973)
• Benny Bailey: Islands (1976)
• Manfred Schoof Orchestra: Reflections (1983)
• Graeme Revell: Body of Evidence: Motion Picture Soundtrack (1993)
• United Jazz + Rock Ensemble: including The Break Even Point and United Live Opus Sechs