"Eberhard" is a 13-minute posthumous "mini-symphony" by legendary jazz keyboardist Lyle Mays, released on August 27, 2021.
Key Details
• A Personal Tribute: The piece is a dedicated homage to German bassist and composer Eberhard Weber, whose unique aesthetic deeply influenced Mays and the Pat Metheny Group.
• Final Masterpiece: Although released after his death in February 2020, Mays was fully engaged in its creation, serving as composer, arranger, and performer (piano, synthesizers) until his final days.
• All-Star Ensemble: The 16-piece recording features notable collaborators including:
o Bill Frisell (Guitar)
o Alex Acuña (Drums/Percussion)
o Steve Rodby (Acoustic Bass)
o Aubrey Johnson (Featured Vocals & Niece of Mays)
• Awards: The composition won the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition.
Musical Character
The work is described as an "immaculately through-composed" journey that blends Midwestern lyricism, classical motivic development, and cinematic vistas. It opens with a marimba ostinato and builds through various sections, including a climax featuring a tenor saxophone solo by Bob Sheppard.
Reception:
“I am really overwhelmed and moved. It is impossible to express my thankfulness and gratitude that Lyle produced that CD,” - Eberhard Weber, August 2021
“Rarely has a piece of modern music so completely delivered a portrait of an individual, but also of a shadowy family group who learned from him. It’s emotional music, yes, but as always with Mays it’s emotion contained within an appropriate architecture and entrusted only to builders who share its vision,”- DownBeat.
Photo: Lyle Mays by Carlo "Granchius" Bonini, CC-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
