Eberhard Weber - Yellow Fields. 1976 Germany

The talent that Eberhard Weber brings forth on Yellow Fields is drool worthy. Rainier Brüninghaus (Eiliff) on keyboards and the venerable Charlie Mariano, fresh off a stint with Embryo, on saxophone and Middle Eastern reeds, is an irresistible combination. But in the end they are here to support, not dominate, Weber's vision. Music like this is often referred to as "ECM Jazz", and it's easy to see why it has its own category. It's jazz music for the comfortable and sophisticated middle aged set, never radical but also not banal either. As someone who has just sailed past middle age, and yet never experienced what that feeling and way of being is supposed be like, music like this inspires a compulsive hand clap, while my mind wanders about what else I'm going to listen to later in the session. As I often say in business meetings, I might be the oldest person in the room - but I'm not the most mature.

For mature audiences only.

LP: 1976 ECM (USA)