Search - Eberhard Weber :: Colours of Chloe

A revolutionary CD and an anecdote

Brian Whistler | Forestville, CA United States | 12/30/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This was Weber's first ECM album. It was revolutionary because it combined classical or Third Stream elements with fusion, something that hadn't been ecplored previously. The result is a whole new tonal pallette that since then has been explored by a number of ECM artists such as Egberto Gismonti and countless others. This is the record that started it all, and for the most part it has weathered time well. Not so for the long final piece, No Motion Picture, which was always my least favorite and now sounds dated to my ears. Still, "side 1" is worth the price of admission and hopefully will lead the listener to some of Mr Webers' other neglected gems such as Fluid Rustle (one of Pat Metheny's favorite albums,) and the Following morning to name a couple. These are masterful examples of Weber's ability to straddle the classical minimalist and jazz genres with spectacular results. Get them all!!Bonus anecdote:I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Weber when he was on tour with Jan Garbarek in 1987. Because of a mixup with transportation to the Russian River jazz festival in Guerneville CA ,my friend had the honor of picking them up at the airport and delivering them to their hotel after the gig. We hung out by the pool, and for the most part i listened in rapt attention to my heroes as they traded stories, or sat in cool eurpean silence while sipping strong coffee by the pool. As the hotel they were staying at had a reputation for car breakins, I drove my friend's van back to my little cottage in the country and parked it in my space in the garage. It was surreal. Sitting parked in my space were Jan Garbarek's sax and Eberhard weber's magical 5 string bass! I couldn't resit it. I opened the van and reverently carried the bass into my little house. Gingerly I laid it on the floor of my studio. Just one look, I thought but alas; the case was locked. Still, I can say with all certainty that Eberhard weber's bass slept in my house."

Top flight composer and bassist, "Chloe" is a jazz masterpie

James | Indianapolis, IN United States | 12/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Colours of Chloe" caused a sensation when released and was the album that launched ECM into the stratosphere among top production studios. It remains my favorite album of all time. Years ago a bass player with the Indiana University School of Music who lived in my dorm introduced me to Eberhard Weber's 1974 masterpiece "Colours of Chloe". I don't remember his name but wish to thank him in this review. At the time, I had been listening to a lot of fusion and Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Birds of Fire", which in comparison seems harsh and unrelenting. I was mesmerized by the hypnotic sound of the piano, bass and horn on this album. I continue to be hypnotized by this stunning concept album today as I listen for the eight hundredth time.



Weber is one of a handful of innovative composers for bass and the creative force behind bringing the bass "out of the closet" and up front and center, Weather Report's Jaco Pastorius aside. Weber's playing is brilliant. Bruninghaus' contribution on keyboards is glorious. The interaction between all the musicians is seamless. One movement flows effortlessly into the next. If you can only buy one jazz CD, this should be it. Extrodinary music and beyond catagory!"