ONCE UPON A TIME is usually the beginning of a fairy tale. It remains the question whether it is based on reality or a dream. Well, I'd like to find out myself:
To begin with: A very young American guitarist, named Pat Metheny, played together with me in one of Gary Burtons quintets. It was around 1977 when Pat decided to leave Gary’s band in order to form his own group. The members were already known and agreed to participate in Pats new formation: on piano Lyle Mays, on drums Danny Gottlieb, on bass Mark Egan, who wasn't available yet when ECM offered a recording session in Germany. So it was me who asked Pat to join the group for the recording. And the fairy tale became true: I met Lyle Mays, the extraordinary new American piano player. I liked every note he played during that recording session, called Watercolors.
Meanwhile I had started my own recording career, of course also with ECM, starting with The Colours of Chloë. I am known for having an obsession, not to repeat the sound or personnel of previous CDs. So it was only logical, that I had to find another piano player than my then preferred German Rainer Brüninghaus for a special project. So I decided to ask on drums Michael DiPasqua, on guitar Bill Frisell, on oboe Paul McCandless and - of course - on piano my new favorite Lyle Mays.
In order to prepare for the recording I asked my agent to book a handful of concerts in advance of the recording session. Finally we had the chance to know each other better and to learn to respond musically to the colleagues. Of course, much younger than and lacking of experience it took a while to become closer and closer, also to find your own footsteps. But I found out pretty soon, that Lyle seemed to like my kind of playing and my way of composing.
We all know that time flies by and different jobs and bands and recordings are offered. So I "had" to develop other projects: My Bass-solo-career, the United Jazz & Rock Ensemble (UJ & RE), the Jan Garbarek Group (JGG). No wonder that I lost contact to Lyle over the years. I followed him only through the increasing success of Pat’s recordings and tours.
Now to end a long story short:
What an incredible honor to find out that Lyle created a last masterpiece and named it "Eberhard"!
I am really overwhelmed and moved. It is impossible to express my thankfulness and gratitude that Lyle produced that CD.
I am only able with dying-away-voice to follow a term of the classical music "morendo":
Thank you, Lyle, thank you, Lyle, thank you, Lyle, thank you, Lyle, thank you, Lyle.............
- EBERHARD WEBER (AUGUST 2021)
Photo: Courtesy of ECM Records