Thomas Sauerborn – [zimbel]

In 2015, Cologne-based drummer Thomas Sauerborn began working on his unaccompanied drum solo project. To do so, however, he put most of his drum set aside for the time being and focussed entirely on a single suspended cymbal. He simply titled this programme ‘[zimbel]’, for which he also developed his own notation. And it really doesn’t take much more than this one, small cymbal (aka cymbal) to show how richly varied, differentiated and reflected it can be improvised on: sometimes noisy and loud, then again so dynamically quiet that almost nothing can be heard, sometimes you can feel a regular pulse, then again just a whirring, light whirring. ‘Thomas Sauerborn’s [zimbel] is the sounding proof of this, recommended for focussed listening, enjoyment and amazement!’, bassist Dieter Manderscheid is convinced.