Tilo Weber

Equivalent to a musical novella, the approximately 36-minute Tesserae is German composer/percussionist Tilo Weber’s mediation on light and darkness, with an emphasis on the latter. Berlin-based Weber, known for his affiliation with David Friedman and adaptation of texts, creates this eight-track prism with only two musicians, and later two guest. Joining Weber’s drums, percussion and vibraphone are Austrian Elias Stemeseder playing harpsichord, celesta, synthesizers and Swede Petter Eldh playing bass and acoustic guitar, both of who also work with Christian Lillinger.

During the first half-dozen tracks, these instruments are harmonized or projected contrapuntally in varied combinations, with overdubbing suggested as well. As a drummer, Weber maintains an even pace, connecting paradiddles, press rolls and martial beats to stabilize expositions also colored with metal bar resonations and hollow echoes. Picking up and amplifying the tempo with powerful bass plucks that move throughout the narratives, at points Eldh interjects supple frails from his bass or guitar. Creating the wave form oscillations which undulate beneath the tracks, Stemeseder’s prismatic asides solidify the trio’s broken octave evolution as he sounds lyrical Baroque-like chords from the harpsichord, flute-like timbres from the synth and music-box-like jangles from the celeste to introduce or intensify the compositions.

These alternations among slurred and bent note variations and melody affirmation reach an apex on “In Rapture And Rubble’, which is lengthy enough to have three sections. The first positioned the narrative with slow-moving bass thumps and keyboard slides, ascends to an faster interlude of parallel amplification featuring sparking harpsichord variations, key splatters, vibraphone chromaticism and drum paradiddles and ends with a swing sequence emphasizing guitar strums, percussion thumps and asymmetrical whistles. Shrills from Anna-Lena Schnabel’s alto saxophone and Bastian Duncker’s ney are added to the concluding “Soul Redoubled”, with their reed arabesques strengthening the organ-like timbres and drum slaps which otherwise define the track. Because of that, additional sonic tinctures enliven the trio’s timbral kaleidoscope and suggest more compositional paths Weber could and should explore in the future.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Time Traveler’s Vessel 2. Worn Not Weary 3.Nacre Nacre 4. In Epitaxy 5. Entrope Nestled 6. In Rapture And Rubble 7. Sacre Sacre* 8. Soul Redoubled*^

Personnel: Anna-Lena Schnabel (alto saxophone, flute)*; Bastian Duncker (ney)^; Elias Stemeseder (harpsichord, celesta, synthesizers); Petter Eldh (bass, acoustic guitar); Tilo Weber (drums, percussion, vibraphone)