It is rare to describe an audio recording as brave, but that is precisely what the latest release by the Silke Eberhard Trio is — bold, fearless, and unflinchingly original. Being-A-Ning, the group’s fifth album, borrows its title from Thelonious Monk’s “Rhythm-A-Ning,” nodding to the jazz giant while continuing the trio’s thematic naming convention. Previous albums — Being (2008) and What a Beauty Being (2011) on Jazzwerkstatt, followed by The Being Inn (2017) and Being the Up and Down (2021) on Intakt — have all explored the elusive nature of ‘being’ through fearless improvisation and sharp compositional ideas.
Eberhard, an alto saxophonist known for her expressive tone and adventurous spirit, pens nine of the album’s ten compositions.