SELECTED RECORDINGS (RARUM, VOL. 18)

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.