Abercrombie, John (guitar) - Third Quartet, The
"The Third Quartet is too sublime a recording to make much of a splash as far as sales and airplay are concerned, but it is likely to stand as one of guitarist John Abercrombie's most haunting and elegant releases."
(Washington Post)
"Abercrombie's band - which includes violinist Mark Feldman, bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron - provides uncommon support. The three musicians ... adapt their playing styles to match the way in which the guitarist flitters around his fretboard. At times, it's impossible to tell who's doing what. Was that a flurry of notes on the ride cymbal or on the electric guitar? Feldman, especially, blurs the line between the quartet's two melodic instruments. He not only mimics the simmering sound that comes from Abercrombie's amp, he also echoes the bossman's miniature motifs. There are no weak points in this band's discography, but The Third Quartet might be the best of all three. It's certainly the most symbiotic."
(JazzTimes)
"Through the set the alternations of country roughness and European fastidiousness in Feldman, Baron's and Johnson's empathy, and Abercrombie's glistening guitar sound, serve as reminders of what a richly resourceful group this goes on being."
(The Guardian)
The third album by the group many listeners feel is John Abercrombie's best-ever band. The American guitarist has always been, by his own account, both a "traditionalist and a free player". The same can be claimed of is colleagues here who share a strong sense for form also while improvising together. Abercrombie: "The free improvs sound more like chamber music rather than free jazz now": not only a reflection on the emphasis on strings - guitar, violin, bass - but also of the advanced harmonic awareness of Mark Feldman, Marc Johnson and the leader.
John Abercrombie, guitar
Mark Feldman, violin
Marc Johnson, double-bass
Joey Baron, drums
Recorded June 2006