John Abercrombie Quartet

John Abercrombie Quartet: Up and Coming Starting the new year with, if not precisely a bang, a nevertheless unforgettable record whose strength lies in pristine lyricism, nuanced group interplay and writing that capitalizes on the entire quartet's appreciation of subtlety over gymnastics and refined lyricism over angularity, John Abercrombie's Up and Coming—ECM's first release of the year—is also founded strongly on the concept of relationship. The guitarist has been playing with Marc Copland since the pianist's days in the early '70s as a saxophonist before deserting it entirely for a career and discography that's as rich and rewarding as Abercrombie's…

As part of ECM'0bs Old & New Masters series of box sets, John Abercrombie's The First Quartet collects three albums recorded for the label between 1978 and 1980. Two titles, 1979's Abercrombie Quartet and 1981's M, have been unavailable for decades. By the guitarist's own admission, this band represents the guitarist's first time as a "proper" bandleader. His earlier dates on ECM had been co-led sessions (Timeless, Gateway, Sargasso Sea), a solo album (Characters), and sideman gigs (Jack DeJohnette's New Directions, David Liebman's Lookout Farm, etc.). These three dates also represent an important foundation for Abercrombie as a composer.

John Abercrombie Quartet - 39 Steps (2013) {ECM 2334}
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© 2013 ECM Records | ECM 2334
Jazz / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz / Guitar

There is an easy familiarity among the participants on the John Abercrombie Quartet's 39 Steps. Each of its members – guitarist, pianist Marc Copland, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Joey Baron – have played together in various situations for decades. In the case of Abercrombie and Copland, their association goes back some 40 years to Chico Hamilton's touring group and the fusion band Dreams. Both Baron and Gress have played with the guitarist and pianist on and off since the '90s.

Guitarist Abercrombie’s alliance with violinist Mark Feldman has proven to be an enduringly creative musical association: they have been playing and recording together for more than a decade now, starting with the “Open Land” sextet of 1998, and following with the quartet albums “Cat’n’Mouse”, “Class Trio “ and “The Third Quartet”. With “Wait Till You See Her” (named for the old Rogers & Hart show tune that Abercrombie plays so tenderly), the line-up of the quartet is adjusted to admit the excellent young bassist Thomas Morgan, whose adroit playing reveals a LaFaro-esque invention. As ever, the core team of Abercrombie, Feldman, and drummer Joey Baron play subtle, elegant and profound jazz.

John Abercrombie Quartet: Up and Coming Starting the new year with, if not precisely a bang, a nevertheless unforgettable record whose strength lies in pristine lyricism, nuanced group interplay and writing that capitalizes on the entire quartet's appreciation of subtlety over gymnastics and refined lyricism over angularity, John Abercrombie's Up and Coming—ECM's first release of the year—is also founded strongly on the concept of relationship.