Blair Huber: Eclipse

Eclipse is the debut album from German duo Blair Huber, comprising saxophonist Darius Blair and guitarist Niko Huber. The album features nine original tracks and was co-produced by the duo with their long-time collaborator Nicolas Butka. Friends for many years, Blair and Huber began playing together at the start of the pandemic and have never allowed their sparse lineup to constrain their creativity. Part of their studio time was spent searching, Blair says, "for a common language between hip hop and jazz, something modern and cutting edge that also hits the same spiritual space as the cats in the 60s."

The album opens in understated fashion with the title track, Blair's saxophone swirling around lightly voiced guitar chords. It is followed by  "Chasing Down Lessing Street," inspired by an incident in which a reckless driver crashed into Blair's car after he left the studio. Despite its origins, the piece unfolds calmly and attractively, with exploratory saxophone lines set against subtle guitar chords.

It is not just saxophone and guitar throughout the album, however; they are joined on the cleverly titled "Prism Break" by drummer Noah Fürbringer from the Moses Yoofee Trio. His addition brings contrast and a strong rhythmic foundation for the duo's interplay and improvisation.

Blair's breathy and precise saxophone is the dominant voice throughout the recording, with Huber, for the most part, playing a supporting, but no less important, role. His guitar coloring is central to the intriguing "Hideaway," while on "Purple Dust" he provides the motif around which Blair builds some of his strongest playing.

Guest musician percussionist Khadim Seck provides the gentlest of Latin rhythms on the hypnotic "Titan." Huber then ramps up a funky opening on "Gamblin.'" The album's most complex track, it initially pulls its two strands in different directions before gradually finding a common path. The album closes with "01/01/25," which makes effective use of space and contains some of the strongest melodic ideas on the record. It stands apart from the preceding tracks and hints at a potential new direction for the duo. Unfortunately, its impact is spoilt by unnecessary vocal interventions; the message is lost in the mix.

"Not everything works here. At just 29 minutes, the album feels rather short, and there are some clumsy overdubs. Nonetheless, Blair Huber is an inventive duo, conjuring up far more than might be expected from its sparse instrumental lineup. Eclipse is a strong debut, demonstrating that the pair has the technical agility and imagination to move in almost any direction, and there is considerable promise for the future.