John Abercrombie Music

From a Japanese release to an European one, this compilation is definitely for the jazz fan. After ten years, the US debut gives the jazz fan a chance to treasure Royce in collaboration with famed Japanese jazz producer, Yoichi Nakao. Royce Campbell's guitar shines in the forefront of this genre and the selections benefit.

Can't resist chiming in on this one. If you like either one of these guys and you like straight ahead jazz with lots of give-and-take, go for it. Produced by Orrin Keepnews (who produced Monk, Evans and a host of others for Riverside)

Can't resist chiming in on this one. If you like either one of these guys and you like straight ahead jazz with lots of give-and-take, go for it. Produced by Orrin Keepnews (who produced Monk, Evans and a host of others for Riverside)

Great straight-ahead jazz guitar from two creative guitarist that don't play in this type of mode often. I don't understand why this has been buried in the bins for years and was late in coming out on CD. A must for jazz guitar fans.

I am facing a problem with CD orders with Amazon. Solar, an excellent album, I should add, came with its case cracked and the interior section which 'holds' the CD broken. The same has been true of almost EVERY item that I've ordered from amazon over the last six months. You need to improve your packing or at least send your faithful customers some extra CD boxes.

There are many good mainstream-jazz guitar duo albums. This one is my most favorite. If you are preparing to spend a wonderful evening with a very special person, music from this CD would be perfect for the background (don't forget though to activate the REPEAT button on your CD-player as this CD is ahh...too short). You might feel that Track 3 (Four on Six) doesn't quite fit into the whole concept: it's too up-tempo and too saltatory, however, if you had consumed enough PINOT NOIR you wouldn't have found it terribly irritating... What am I talking about? Guys, this is a great CD! Mr Abercrombie apart from playing guitar uses electric mandoline and George Mraz (bass) and Peter Donald (drums) contributed to a couple of tracks. "Abercrombie & Scofield" go together as well as "Abercrombie & Fitch".

I'm a huge Abercrombie fan and this album is one of my favorites. Scofield and Abercrombie dig down deep into some jazzy blues lines that make these two guitar players undeniably some of the most creative to ever play the guitar. Abercrombie is magical as always and Scofield is young, bold, and worthy to share the light with this jazz god. I feel like Abercrombie is passing the torch on to another generation. The album [Timeless] materialized the jazz-rock-fusion era by crossing boundaries and steering music into new directions (an unbeatable accomplishment.) This has been handed off to Scofield who has ever since been attempting to move jazz onto a new canvas.

This duo works as well together as Herb Ellis & Joe Pass, with the same amount of skill and taste. Definitely great listening at home, relaxing after a long day at work. The mood is subdued yet warm and enveloping. This makes me wish that they had worked together for more than just this one disc.

What a fine come back for this great saxophonist - with a truly terrific group - and great compositions to work with. Konitz is so unique among jazz musicians and really stands out - perhaps my favorite on alto. He is accompanied by one of the finest and most original guitarists here in John Abercrombie and supported by a fine rhythm section as well as mr. Brown on tenor. I can't get enough of this truly original album - and a Konitz classic!

A true veteran and classic in the world of jazz Mr Konitz has hopped, skipped and jumped around many labels. This one however is every bit as impressive and is in fact one of his best. His altoist unique dry sound providing an exceptional sound in the field of jazz, this album also having the luxury of rarely recorded tenor saxophonist Ted Brown. Konitz's rarely found improvision of mixing old and new is the making of this supberb cd and I commend it to all Konitz fans and anyone who truely appreciates good sax!

Since his days with Verve and Milestone Konitz has had a prolific recording career, but one mostly sustained on small labels. They have often served him well, but it's great to see him finally get some recognition from major labels.

This disc assembles a first-rate band to perform a set of Konitz tunes (unusually for him, no standards, though of course many of the tunes are based on standard changes). The band contains Ted Brown, a Tristano-associated tenor-player; John Abercrombie on guitar; Marc Johnson on bass; and Joey Baron on drums.

It's a good album, though I'm not sure it's quite one of Konitz's finest. There's some absorbing blowing on "Hi Beck" & "Thingin'", and a terrific free-jazz piece called "Wingin'". Brown and Abercrombie seem to be having something of a quiet day (& seem to recognize some mutual incompatibility: many of the tracks either lose the tenor or the guitar to make the group a quartet). The most interesting interaction often is that between Konitz & the bass and drums. (Oddly there's little of the twinned-saxophone simultaneous improvisation that one associates with the Tristano School.)

In short, a good disc, well worth picking up. Not quite the best of recent-vintage Konitz--perhaps his work on Kenny Wheeler's _Angel Song_ might be closer to that.

As a student of Lee Konitz's I came to appreciate his artistry and consummate integrity which he has consistently demonstrated throughout his career. His most recent release, "Sound of Surprise" is an excellent example of his skills as both an improviser and composer. It is especially gratifying to see Lee featured on a "high profile" label (BMG) where his music will (hopefully) be exposed to a wider audience. As mentioned in the liner notes, Lee's penchant for creating original improvisations that are truly "in the moment" can sometimes yield inconsistent results, but with this session he really conveys his musical philosophy more clearly than I have heard in some of his other recent recordings (is it just me or are there others who wonder why "Another Shade of Blue" was even released?). "Sound of Surprise" is a fine introduction to Lee's music for those unfamiliar with his work and it most definitely belongs in any long-standing Konitz fan's collection.

This may not be one I listen to a lot, but there are times when I absolutely love this album. It may be one of the most underrated records in John Abercrombie's entire career, but in it's own way it's right up there with his best.

It's not as sweet as some, and there's no acoustic guitar like there is on `Characters', `Getting There', or others. There's no expanded ensemble, like there is on albums such as 'Open Land', with Marc Feldman, Joe Lovano, etc, or exquisite earlier albums like `November' with John Surman. They don't play any standards either.

Despite all of this, it's an album of deep grooves, a searching and mysterious atmosphere, and above all some fabulous playing. Dan Wall and Adam Nussbaum play really great, but then they always do. In fact I really dig Adam Nussbaum's drumming in this music. He's the one lighting fires under this trio; and yes, I deliberately borrow that line from Miles. What he said of Tony Williams' amazing playing in his fabulous 60's quintet really comes to mind when I hear Adam Nussbaum's drumming bringing life to this particular music. It is inspired playing, and is probably the highlight of the album for me.

What's significant about the playing of John Abercrombie is that in my opinion his playing here is way ahead of anything he's done since. Purely on a guitar-playing level this one is right up there. There's some great solos from JA, and his rhythmic, chordal playing is also absolutely superb. For just one example, check out the wonderful comping behind Dan Wall's solo on 'Early to Bed'. It's an absolute master class! I don't think he's ever played better, but if he has someone please let me know!

On the down side, 'Speak of the Devil' does not contain many memorable compositions, if any; even though there are four JA originals. In fact the weak link, if there is one, is that none of these tunes really stick in your memory for long - I can't hum or recall any of the tunes beyond the time of actually listening to it. It's probably more a case of the abstract treatment than any inherant weaknesses in the compositions though, and this music, though not pretty, is absolutely engaging and totally captivating nonetheless. Though it may not be to everyone's tastes, it is absolutely great Jazz.

This album is strange then, in that even though it's not entirely pleasing it's still a great record, and I have got to give it 5 stars for the sheer quality of the playing. I think you should check it out!

Instead of the fusion influenced "Gateway" trios serving as a comparison to this smooth, SACD performance, the famous trios of Bill Evans should be a guide (and as pointed out, bassist Eddie Gomez played for several years with Evans.) Each of the musicians has bought into the "less is more" approach, particularly Abercrombie and Gomez, who can both be overly voluble in different contexts. The SACD format highlights the sound of the instruments themselves in this analog-quality recording-it's a damn shame that SACD plants such as Sony's are closing in this i-Pod era, as quality of sound is eschewed for merely having a small delivery device. But at least this recording will serve as a standard of what a guitar trio should sound like. It's hard to believe this was a "pick-up" gig and not a long-time, working unit, as the rapport between the players is tremendous

John Abercrombie is the consummate guitarist's guitarist: revered by his fellow players, often overlooked in the jazz press, and virtually ignored by the mainstream media. The string of groundbreaking albums he recorded in the 1970s and 80s -- including his debut as a leader, "Timeless"; his recordings with Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette as the Gateway Trio; as a sideman on Collin Walcott's brilliant "Cloud Dance"; his exquisite duets with Ralph Towner; and his own dynamic albums with the John Abercrombie Quartet featuring the equally underrated Richard Beirach -- established him as one of the most talented, original, and superbly tasteful players in modern jazz. His singing tone and fluid lines recalled Jim Hall at his best, while his melodic lyricism approached the heights of pianist Bill Evans, a major influence on him.

In the last decade or so, however, Abercrombie's career has seemed unfocused. Despite some fine organ-trio recordings and several worthwhile albums with violinist Mark Feldman released on ECM, Abercrombie has seemed to dissipate his powers on numerous substandard recordings for boutique labels like Steeplechase, relying on peculiarly acid tones and distorted effects that drain the life out of his unique gift for heart-rending melodicism.

Now, with "Structures," not only has Abercrombie made a stunning return to form, he has recorded one of the instant jazz classics of our time -- a standard-bearer the way Jim Hall's "Undercurrent" and Wes Montgomery's early recordings were. "Structures" sounds both contemporary and utterly timeless, and should be regarded as one of the most important jazz-guitar albums of the decade.

It doesn't hurt that "Structures" is also one of the high points of the brilliant career of Eddie Gomez, the longest-standing bass player in the Bill Evans Trio, and a visionary, muscular musician in his own right. The Chesky label that prides itself on uncluttered recording techniques has finally captured the sound of Gomez's bass with the astonishing fullness, articulation, and depth that it deserves. Even listened to as a standard CD (I don't have an SACD player), the sounds of all three players -- including the excellent drummer Gene Jackson -- are presented with crystalline clarity and warm, spacious ambience.

The trio navigates through a well-chosen program of standards and originals with imaginative grace and a level of mutual listening that has only been approached by the very finest small groups in jazz. Its recording of the poignant Evans original "Turn Out the Stars" -- which Gomez performed dozens of times with its composer, and was surely a milestone in Abercrombie's jazz education, owing to Jim Hall's diamond-like accompaniment -- is the most heartbreaking recording of the tune to date outside of Evans' own. The trio stretches out on "How Deep is the Ocean" with masterful empathy, orbiting around Irving Berlin's familiar themes while extending them into fresh territory. "Moon and Sand," a melancholy tune by Alex Wilder that deserves wider acclaim, is a haunting, brooding gem, and Abercrombie and Gomez originals like "Jazz Folk" and "Walter Pigeon" are explored with the same rich balance of introspection and group exuberance.

Listeners who gave up on Abercrombie in the mid-80s should pick up this album right away to discover how gracefully the former guitar prodigy has matured. Gomez fans will instantly recognize "Structures" as one of the finest performances of the bass player's exemplary career. And throughout, Gene Jackson's drumming is swinging, sensitive, and supremely professional.

This album deserves 6 stars. Abercrombie, Gomez, and Jackson should be congratulated for producing one of the most enjoyable, sublimely understated, and superbly recorded jazz recordings of our era.

I was overjoyed to see that Abercrombie was reunited with Gomez (they were integral to DeJohnette's mid-70's New Directions) in this trio format which I prefer much more to his recent releases. While he's made nice contributions to some of Charles Lloyd's late sessions, I was mildly turned off to his violin adventure with Marc Feldman and so this is a welcome return to traditional guitar, bass and drums. Not as muscular as the Gateway albums but the recording is extraordinary and the selections beautiful. This one can stay in my CD changer.