Hendrik Eichler’s Manic Anomaly

The space metaphor is simply too beautiful: When we speak of the infinite vastness of space, of disturbances in the space-time continuum, or of unknown planets, analogies to art—and, even better, to jazz and contemporary improvisational music—almost arise of their own accord. In any case, Cologne-based drummer, bandleader, and composer Hendrik Eichler appreciates the synergies inherent in such comparisons. This is likely why he named his pan-European band Manic Anomaly and titled the accompanying album “Metamorphmanic Anomaly,” the release of which will be celebrated with a concert at Cologne Jazzweek. The music oscillates between atmospheric expansiveness and intense density; electronic and acoustic soundscapes shift over and beneath one another, sparking like tectonic plates. What emerges is a texture structured as organically as it is futuristically, in which the high frequencies chirp brightly while the bass frequencies sink deep into the basement.