SILKE EBERHARD “Being-A-Ning”

ARTIST

Silke Eberhard

ALBUM TITLE

«Being-A-Ning»

LABEL

Intakt

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In a century short on enlightenment, Silke Eberhard reminds us—through her music—that we must renew our faith in both reason and play, two sides of the same coin. The trio format brings out the German saxophonist’s optimistic and inquisitive voice to great effect, and Being-A-Ning stands as her most focused and engaging release to date. This trio has been active for nearly two decades. A couple of recurring elements symbolize its enduring identity: once again, the word “being” appears in the title, signifying presence and concrete existence. This time, it’s fused with the name of one of Thelonious Monk’s early compositions, Rhythm-A-Ning. The album cover features a work by Swiss artist Roman Signer—Stiefel, Fitjor (Norwegen). Together, the wordplay and artwork serve as markers of a trio whose shared experiments—even the most “extreme”—are grounded in long-standing friendship and trust.

On Being-A-Ning, Eberhard, Roder, and Lübke never lose the thread. It’s clear that the saxophonist composed these pieces with her bandmates firmly in mind. The album opens with What’s in Your Bag, an angular theme delivered in tight unison, featuring a salvo of stop-time figures that recall the fierce energy of Anthony Braxton’s classic quartet with Kenny Wheeler. This leads into a torrential yet tightly controlled solo by Eberhard. Her improvisations throughout retain an emotional connection to Eric Dolphy—always teetering between intellect and playfulness. Listen, for instance, to her tonguing techniques on New Dance, where Roder and Lübke lay down a rhythmic groove tinged with a rock sensibility. In contrast, Die Urwald conjures up the quiet stirrings of an untouched forest, animated with gentle nuance. The title track offers a reflection on jazz tradition, with Eberhard evoking the soft, swinging phrasing of Lee Konitz.

The momentum continues with Lake, an energetic tribute to Oliver Lake; Rubber Boots, inspired by Signer’s surreal installation featured on the cover; and Hans im Glück, a hypnotic nursery rhyme composed by Lübke. Most tracks fall between four and six minutes but manage to say it all—these are improvisers who know how to strip away the superfluous.

A superb album.
Giuseppe Piacentino

DISTRIBUTED BY

Goodfellas

LINEUP

Silke Eberhard (alto), Jan Roder (db.), Kay Lübke (dr.).