Eberhard Weber

Though Eberhard Weber ranks among the continent's premier bassists, he has never confined himself exclusively to jazz and ranks among its most restrained improvisers. His approach steers clear of blues inflections or any vigorously kinetic manner. Primarily shaped by European sources, especially modern classical composition and avant-garde music, Weber adapted Steve Reich's method of layering contrasting ostinato figures across separate voices. In the early 1970s he extended the upper register of his electric bass by adding a fifth string, thereby broadening its compass and intensifying its resonance; a sixth string followed in the late 1970s.

After initially doubling on cello, Weber eventually set the instrument aside to focus solely on acoustic and electric bass. His father introduced him to the cello at age six, and he took up the bass at sixteen. School orchestras, dance ensembles, and regional jazz combos provided his first professional outlets. An encounter with Wolfgang Dauner at the Dusseldorf Amateur Jazz Festival in the early 1960s led to an eight-year partnership that encompassed duo performances and membership in Et Cetera. In the early 1970s Weber collaborated with Dave Pike and co-directed the ensemble Spectrum alongside Volker Kriegel. His album The Colours of Chloe, issued in the early 1970s, became one of ECM's most celebrated releases. Weber established the group Colours in 1974, led it through American tours in 1976, 1978, and 1979, and maintained its direction until 1981. Between the mid-1970s and the early 1980s he also performed with the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble.

Throughout the 1980s Weber recorded and toured with Jan Garbarek, composed film scores, and presented solo recitals. He maintained his association with ECM, both leading his own projects and appearing alongside musicians such as Gary Burton. Several later ECM recordings document this period, among them Pendulum from 1993, Endless Days from 2001, and Stages of a Long Journey from 2007. As a longtime participant in Garbarek's touring ensemble, Weber regularly received a dedicated slot for spontaneous compositions rather than conventional bass features. Between 1990 and 2007 he preserved recordings of these segments, later editing and shaping them into the 2012 album Resume, which also features Garbarek and drummer/percussionist Michael DiPasqua. Applying the same archival approach, he produced a second collection of reworked material, released as Encore in 2015.