JOHN ABERCROMBIE - Class Trip (2003) APE (image+.cue), lossless

The John Abercrombie Quartet's Cat 'n' Mouse, issued in 2002, showcased a band that was on the verge of something that approached greatness. Abercrombie, violinist Mark Feldman, drummer Joey Baron, and bassist Marc Johnson gelled together inside the framework of the guitarist's increasingly open-ended compositions and became a unit that could articulate the most subtle of sonorities and intricate harmonic architectures. But they also revealed that they were entering the zone where they could actually stretch time and space. On Class Trip, the bandmembers come together fully and build on that concept with such beauty and grace that they sound as if they've been playing together all their lives. The sheer subtle intuition that guides these proceedings is breathtaking, whether they are weaving through one another on "Cat Walk," which is alternately full of shimmering yet knotty harmonics with Abercrombie's chord voicings offering a dimensional extension of Feldman's lines in counterpoint, finding a common singing voice where time signatures seemingly disappear, as on "Risky Business," or messing about with Bartók's "Soldier's Song" and turning its melodic line back on itself in an inverse scalar schemata. This band is concerned only with the articulation and expression of a musicality that lies not in the obviousness of its contributors' considerable musical gifts as jazz improvisers, but in the sheer nuanced elegance of an ensemble whose blurring of traditions under the rubric of improvisation makes the group not only compelling but brilliant. Abercrombie's compositions for this band are the most adventurous and graceful of his long career; as a unit, the quartet is a band without peers that plays a music whose challenge is only eclipsed by its accessibility and singular language.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1     Dansir 9:32
John Abercrombie
2     Risky Business 7:40
John Abercrombie
3     Descending Grace 8:56
John Abercrombie
4     Illinoise 5:36
John Abercrombie / Joey Baron / Mark Feldman / Marc Johnson
5     Cat Walk 7:56
John Abercrombie
6     Excuse My Shoes 8:29
John Abercrombie
7     Swirls 6:07
John Abercrombie
8     Jack and Betty 3:41
John Abercrombie
9     Class Trip 7:29
John Abercrombie
10     Bartók: Soldier's Song 3:03
Béla Bartók
11     Epilogue 3:04
John Abercrombie / Joey Baron / Mark Feldman / Marc Johnson
Credits :
Double Bass – Marc Johnson
Drums – Joey Baron
Guitar – John Abercrombie
Producer – Manfred Eicher
Violin – Mark Feldman

ANDY LAVERNE WITH JOHN ABERCROMBIE - Natural Living (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This duo date marks the first occasion during which Andy LaVerne and John Abercrombie played together, so with the impressive results it isn't surprising to learn that they would get together again in the studio. The give and take between the pianist and guitarist is at the high level of the Bill Evans-Jim Hall sessions. An inventive interpretation of "Sweet and Lovely" starts things off at a high level. They skim the surface of "All the Things You Are" by adding some interesting re-harmonization, while "When You Wish Upon a Star" has a rhapsodic introduction by LaVerne and wonderful comping by each player for his partner's solo. The influence of Bill Evans upon LaVerne's playing during "Stella by Starlight." Both men also contributed original tunes to the date. LaVerne's "Natural Living" is a hard to predict bossa nova with Abercrombie on acoustic guitar, while the pianist's "Archetypal Schemata" and Abercrombie's "John's Waltz" are post-bop masterpieces. Their one collaboration seems to be a joint improvisation, with Abercrombie on guitar synthesizer. This is an excellent all around release. by Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1     Sweet and Lovely 5:01
Gus Arnheim / Jules LeMare (Chas. N. Daniels) / Harry Tobias
2     Actual Sighs 6:03
Andy LaVerne
3     John's Waltz 4:48
John Abercrombie
4     All the Things You Are 5:19
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
5     Among Tall Trees 5:24
Andy LaVerne
6     Natural Living 8:20
Andy LaVerne
7     Archetypal Schemata 4:13
Andy LaVerne
8     Magnetic Flux 4:03
John Abercrombie / Andy LaVerne
9     Labour Day 5:19
John Abercrombie
10     When You Wish upon a Star 7:32
Leigh Harline / Ned Washington
11     Stella by Starlight 7:11
Ned Washington / Victor Young
12     Suzy's World 7:30
Andy LaVerne
Credits :
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar [Guitar-synthesizer] – John Abercrombie
Piano – Andy LaVerne

JOHN ABERCROMBIE QUARTET - Wait Till You See Her (2009) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

John Abercrombie's longstanding partnership with Mark Feldman has yielded several albums of exquisite music, and Wait Till You See Her is no different. The mood is naturally restrained, contemplative, and introspective as you would expect, while there's a common thread of healthy respect that keeps the quartet in the softer mezzo piano range. With acoustic bassist Thomas Morgan and the irrepressible drummer Joey Baron, the electric guitarist and violinist weave their way through one standard and seven originals from Abercrombie that comes straight from the heart. It's not all sedate music -- check out "Line-Up," a fun listen as sneaky melody lines and frisky interplay is infused in a neo-bop context. A sprightly two-step beat, walking along with a brief, folksy musical snippet makes "Out of Towner" a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Ralph Towner. Then there's another cutely titled parody, "Chic of Araby," a bass-led tango with Abercrombie's secretive, snake-like guitar in the lower key dynamic the band prefers. A bluesy and reverent piece, "Anniversary Waltz" is in the midtempo pace that sports a more universal appeal, and it's draped in a pretty, elegant dress. The extremely slow "Sad Song" paraphrases the melody of "Speak Low" as Feldman's violin speaks to the emotions of the fallen, the title selection, a Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart evergreen, is reduced to a wisp of an anticipatory theme, and "I've Overlooked Before" has the seascape-at-midnight audio quality evocative of the best film noir soundtrack, ultimately dusky and sighing. One track sans Feldman -- "Trio" -- is a pretty good jazz swinger as you hear the sparse signature sound Abercrombie has held close to his soul for four decades. Feldman always holds sway with his beautiful and piquant voicings. Alongside Abercrombie, you always know there's a compatible, agreeable sound forged between these high-level contemporary jazz string players. It's not a commanding performance, but the subtle nuances outweigh any kind of loud pronouncements that distract from musicality. At the bottom line, it's another consistent and at times excellent effort from these tried and true modern musicians. by Michael G. Nastos  
Tracklist :
1     Sad Song 7:15
John Abercrombie
2     Line-Up 7:18
John Abercrombie
3     Wait Till You See Her 5:44
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
4     Trio 5:14
John Abercrombie
5     I've Overlooked Before 7:31
John Abercrombie
6     Anniversary Waltz 9:29
John Abercrombie
7     Out Of Towner 6:14
John Abercrombie
8     Chic Of Araby 8:22
John Abercrombie
Credits :
Double Bass – Thomas Morgan
Drums – Joey Baron
Guitar – John Abercrombie
Violin – Mark Feldman 

JOHN ABERCROMBIE QUARTET - Up and Coming (2017) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

When pianist Marc Copland formally joined the John Abercrombie Quartet for 2013's wonderful 39 Steps, he brought with him the fruit of the musical relationship between himself and the guitarist that had been established some four decades earlier with Chico Hamilton, and in the fusion band Dreams. Their evolution continued the guitarist's participation on several of the pianist's albums, and as sidemen playing in the same bands with Kenny Wheeler and David Liebman. Bassist Drew Gress, who has worked with both men separately over the years, is a further link in the chain, while drummer Joey Baron has played with the guitarist often enough to be intimately familiar with his compositional and improvisational processes.
Abercrombie wrote five of these eight tunes, Copland contributed a pair, and the group offers a startling read of Miles Davis' nugget "Nardis." It's in the reinvention of the latter number where this band showcases its greatest strengths. While they remain faithful to the song's harmony and spirit, they open up its inner space a moment at a time, almost imperceptibly at first. Abercrombie parses his phrases, albeit fluidly, to reveal the hidden magic in Davis' nuances, as Copland follows through and around them to crystallize its striking chorus. There's a great deal of magic in the originals as well. Opener "Joy" commences with a poignant minor-lyric statement, picked up by Copland before the pair stagger the melody and begin a gradual yet emotive and inquisitive interplay. Gress accents the changes while Baron adds dimension and texture with his whispering cymbal work. The pianist's solo highlights each melodic fragment with canny lyricism. The guitarist's "Flipside" is brief, but its swinging tempo and tight changes spotlight the band breezing through post-bop with zest, humor, and chops to spare. A more complex side of that nature is expounded upon in Copland's "Silver Circle," providing an opportunity for Abercrombie to underscore the edges in a rounded yet knotty solo. The pianist's "Tears," with its processional yet lithe chord voicings, hushed cymbals, and muted tom-toms, is initially so gentle and tender, it momentarily distracts from the darkness within. Abercrombie's break caresses the melody's haunting frame; Gress picks apart its elements and exposes its spine reinforced subtly by Baron, and Copland opens the seam to expose drama, vulnerability, and loss. The set concludes with the guitarist's "Jumbles," a jocular, midtempo workout that juxtaposes angles and breezy harmony with a varying rhythmic palette. Up and Coming clocks in at under 50 minutes. Its compositional and improvisational economy is countered by the quartet's disciplined ability to colorfully and authoritatively illustrate an abundance of creative ideas without hinting at compromise.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1     Joy 4:12
John Abercrombie
2     Flipside 2:53
John Abercrombie
3     Sunday School 7:18
John Abercrombie
4     Up and Coming 5:50
John Abercrombie
5     Tears 7:34
Marc Copland
6     Silver Circle 7:06
Marc Copland
7     Nardis 6:21
Miles Davis
8     Jumbles 5:57
John Abercrombie
Credits :
Double Bass – Drew Gress
Drums – Joey Baron
Guitar – John Abercrombie
Piano – Marc Copland

LES ARBUCKLE - Bush Crew (1995) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1     Joe 6:48
Les Arbuckle
2     Bella Donna Lee 4:32
Les Arbuckle
3     The Mermaid 6:54
Les Arbuckle
4     Bush Crew Boogaloo 6:32
Les Arbuckle
5     Quasimodo 5:12
Charlie Parker
6     Morrendo de Saudade 6:22
Les Arbuckle
7     Page 44 7:10
Les Arbuckle
8     The Rose on Dell Ave. 6:17
Les Arbuckle
Credits :
Bass – Essiet Okon Essiet
Drums – Victor Lewis
Guitar – John Abercrombie (faixas: 1, 3 to 5, 8), Mike Stern (faixas: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7)
Tenor Saxophone – Les Arbuckle