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John Abercrombie: Extending the Tradition
by John Kelman
Guitarist John Abercrombie is arguably the guitarist of his generation who pushes the boundaries of improvised music while still relating, most directly, to the jazz tradition. While others dabble with electronica, jam band sensibilities, world music and Americana, Abercrombie, no matter how forward-reaching his music has become, is always first and foremost a jazz guitarist. Even with the more free-thinking chamber work of his current quartet, there is a clear tie with tradition that separates him from his peers.
Continue ReadingJohn Abercrombie: Class Trip
by AAJ Staff
Followers of guitarist John Abercrombie were taken aback by 2002's Cat 'n' Mouse , featuring violinist Mark Feldman, bassist Marc Johnson, and drummer Joey Baron. Maybe it was the personnel, maybe the right time and place, or maybe a moment of clarity on everyone's account, but the group resonated as well as any Abercrombie has ever led. It married his penchant for group exploration and abstract logic, while still retaining firm roots planted in swing and blues. The brand new ...
Continue ReadingJohn Abercrombie: Class Trip
by John Kelman
Guitarist John Abercrombie's last record, 2002's Cat 'n' Mouse , as good as it was, was as much an announcement, a promise, a consolidation and move in a new direction that was hinted at by 1999's Open Land. Signalling the arrival of a new quartet featuring violinist Mark Feldman, bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron, Abercrombie moved in a freer direction, where he upped the ante for group interplay. His latest quartet release, Class Trip , delivers on that ...
Continue ReadingJohn Abercrombie: Rarum XIV: Selected Recordings
by Michael P. Gladstone
Through its Rarum series, initiated in 2002, ECM has encouraged its artists to select among their own recordings to best illustrate their ECM years. Guitarist John Abercrombie has wisely chosen to represent his 30 year career with the label by offering ten tracks arranged in chronological fashion. Abercrombie, Keith Jarrett, and Jan Garbarek are probably the most prolific artists on the label. In listening to the wide range of music, one is taken with the enormity of a three decades ...
Continue ReadingJohn Abercrombie: Cat 'n' Mouse
by Celeste Sunderland
Contradiction has its claws wrapped around John Abercrombie's latest recording Cat 'n' Mouse. Somber, weeping melodies offset rolling, jubilant solos. Wild improvisation fades into shifting, dark-ening sonic landscapes. Delicate brushes on drums churn into steady rock beats. The fifth track “Third Stream Samba" doesn't venture anywhere near Brazil. Even the title of the album, naming the classic predator and prey scenario suggests some sort of chase, a hunt, a dominance of one thing over another. And yet the musicians on ...
Continue ReadingJohn Abercrombie: Cat 'n' Mouse
by AAJ Staff
First and foremost, Cat 'n' Mouse is a game among equals. The members of this quartet are each powerful musicians in their own right, and somehow they've made a treaty to serve a common cause. Guitarist John Abercrombie takes the lead on the opening track, “A Nice Idea," with an extended lyrical melody seeping with melancholy. His rhythm section (Joey Baron on drums and Marc Johnson on bass) yield understated support while Abercrombie pursues his leisurely theme and subsequent improvisation. ...
Continue ReadingAbercrombie/Erskine/Mintzer/Patitucci: The Hudson Project
by Ed Kopp
In 1998, the D’Addario Company hired four respected jazz veterans -- Bob Mintzer (tenor sax), John Abercrombie (electric guitar), John Patitucci (acoustic and electric basses) and Peter Erskine (drums) -- to conduct a series of concerts/clinics together. The four adopted the group name the Hudson Project, and their final engagement was recorded and is now available on video and CD.The sound is impeccable on this 48-track digital recording, and the music weaves many textures, reflecting the talent and ...
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