What a great ensemble Eberhard Weber assembled for this 1982 record, Later That Evening. Paul McCandless of Oregon on reeds, Bill Frisell on guitar, Lyle Mays on piano and Michael DiPaspua on drums, plus Weber on his uniquely sounding bass. All of them are playing some of their best on this record, on four compositions written by Weber. Weber’s records demonstrate how a group of jazz musicians can interpret compositions that do not conform to the typical jazz format, and while allowing the musicians to improvise in some sections, feature the ensemble playing through-composed arrangements.

Later That Evening front

Later That Evening front

The most elaborate composition on the album is Death in a Carwash, which I recommend listening to as well, but the opener Maurizius is my favorite on the album. Lyle Mays, who is usually associated with the electric keyboards and synths work on the Pat Metheny Group albums, is playing piano exclusively here and provides the mantra-like accompaniment that floats through the whole tune. The musician that impresses me most on this track is Michael DiPasqua, who is following each nuance played by the other musicians with his brush work on cymbals and snare drums.

Although the music brings to mind images of beautiful beaches such as those you can find on an Island like Mauritius, Weber may have named this tune after The Maurizius Case, a book by Jakob Wassermann, written in 1928. The ECM label has no shortage of moody atmospheric pieces of music and this one is one of their very best.