MARC COPLAND • JOHN ABERCROMBIE - Speak to Me (2011) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Left Behind 6:06
Written-By – John Abercrombie
2    Speak To Me 6:25
Written-By – Marc Copland
3    Seven 4:18
Written-By – John Abercrombie
4    If I Should Lose You 8:03
Written-By – Ralph Rainger
5    Blues Connotation 2:47
Written-By – Ornette Coleman
6    So Long 6:23
Written-By – John Abercrombie
7    Falling Again 9:54
Written-By – Marc Copland
8    Talking Blues 4:59
Written-By – Marc Copland
9    Witchcraft 9:35
Written-By – Cy Coleman
Credits :
Guitar – John Abercrombie
Piano – Marc Copland

JOHN ABERCROMBIE QUARTET - 39 Steps (2013) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

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. The predominate mood here is linear post-bop and lyric balladry, though there is an overarching group meditation on the pieces titled for Alfred Hitchock's films: Abercrombie composed six pieces here (including "Vertigo" and the title track); Copland two (including "Spellbound"), and there's a group improvisation called "Shadow of a Doubt." The pianist's "LST" is a midtempo number with an elaborate melody and a gorgeous solo by the composer showcasing motivic invention in the upper register accompanied by gorgeous chord voicings from Abercrombie. The lush, melodic invention in the guitarist's "Bacharach" offers the pianist a platform to build a multi-hued timbral spectrum, while Abercrombie slips along its underside in an understated yet intricate solo, Gress punctuates his lines with rich wooden tones and Baron whispers along on snare and cymbals. Copland's "Spellbound" is as mysterious as its title implies. Abercrombie's dual string intro is followed by Gress's, which is darkly illumined by the pianist's middle-register chordal inventions and Baron's slippery shuffle. The guitarist's solo follows a scalar line, purposely syncopating his movements and creating a gentle swing. The title track is one of the loveliest ballads Abercrombie has composed. It makes full use of both the piano's and guitar's possibilities as chord instruments, but its solos all move fluidly along subtle yet intensely lyrical lines. The set closes on the most unusual version of "Melancholy Baby" ever committed to tape, though even in its angular rhythmic thrust and contrapuntal individual statements, exhibits a keen sense of listening and melodic counterpoint. Abercrombie's 39 Steps offers the sound of a veteran quartet playing at the height of its individual members' intuitive and collective abilities. by Thom Jurek  
Tracklist :
1 Vertigo 6:23
Composed By – John Abercrombie
2 LST 6:51
Composed By – Marc Copland
3 Bacharach 7:21
Composed By – John Abercrombie
4 Greenstreet 6:15
Composed By – John Abercrombie
5 As It Stands 4:08
Composed By – John Abercrombie
6 Spellbound 6:53
Composed By – Marc Copland
7 Another Ralph's 5:22
Composed By – John Abercrombie
8 Shadow Of A Doubt 3:12
Composed By – Drew Gress, Joey Baron, John Abercrombie, Marc Copland
9 39 Steps 8:36
Composed By – John Abercrombie
10 Melancholy Baby 4:37
Composed By – Ernie Burnett, George A. Norton
Credits :
Double Bass – Drew Gress
Drums – Joey Baron
Guitar – John Abercrombie
Piano – Marc Copland
Producer – Manfred Eicher

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.  by Thom Jurek
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