MORTON FELDMAN : Pieces For More Than Two Hands (Le Bureau Des Pianistess) (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist + Credits :

JOHN ABERCROMBIE - Cat 'n' Mouse (2000) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Aided by an all-star band, John Abercombie makes it clear on CAT 'N' MOUSE exactly why he continues to be regarded as one of jazz's most creative and progressive guitarists. He's possessed not only of fearsome chops, but a finely honed textural sensibility that enables him to move from the slinky lines and feathery tones of the opening cut "A Nice Idea" to the forward-looking experimentalism of "Convolution" and post-bop firestorm of "Stop and Go" without missing a beat. Yoemanlike work is done as well by violinist Mark Feldman, whose purity of tone is matched only by his ceaseless originality and succinct phrasing. On the album's numerous contemplative tunes, it's a pleasure to hear Abercombie and Feldman's lines cris-crossing, creating spontaneous tone poems that bear beauty and invention in equal measure. AllMusic
Tracklist :
1     A Nice Idea 10:55
John Abercrombie
2     Convolution 5:31
John Abercrombie
3     String Thing 3:59
John Abercrombie
4     Soundtrack 8:04
John Abercrombie
5     Third Stream Samba 8:41
John Abercrombie / Joey Baron / Mark Feldman / Marc Johnson
6     On the Loose 5:59
John Abercrombie
7     Stop and Go 6:59
John Abercrombie
8     Show of Hands 9:18
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

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. by Thom Jurek
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

JOHN ABERCROMBIE - The Third Quartet (2006) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Third Quartet is the third album by this rather astonishing group of musicians under guitarist and composer John Abercrombie's leadership. His collaborators: drummer Joey Baron, violinist Mark Feldman, and bassist Marc Johnson are all accomplished leaders in their own rights, but as they team with Abercrombie, something unusual, unwieldy, and utterly transformative takes place. Feldman is such a worthy foil for the guitarist. The call is the response in tunes like "Banshee" and "Wishing Bell," the counterpoint in "Tres," and the gorgeously simple harmonic extrapolations in "Number Nine," with its spacious and slippery melody, accent each man's greatest strength. For Feldman it's in the ear. He doesn't simply follow Abercrombie, he underscores him, he journeys from him and illumines his violin's particularly colorful tonalities in contrast to Abercrombie's warm and buttery tone. The ensemble symbiosis is at its height on tunes like Ornette Coleman's "Round Trip," which is begun by Baron and followed by Johnson, followed by Abercrombie and then Feldman. That said, the ensemble interplay near the end of tune, stretching Coleman's lyric line to the breaking point, is almost breathtaking. The other cover here, following immediately after, is Bill Evans' "Epilogue." Here, the sheer tenderness and emotion of Evans' composition are evident from the moment Abercrombie and Feldman begin playing together. Feldman's nearly modal approach to the actual head is startling at first, but the pacing, and Abercrombie's trademark sparse phrasing, are where the genius that is Evans' displays itself. Abercrombie and Feldman re-read the tune through its mode, and Johnson's skeletal playing of the changes keeps its from being entirely spectral. Baron's cymbal washes here are especially poignant. It feels more like an elegy, but there is no doubt that is its intention. This is a most welcome and beautiful addition to this particular group's musical language as well as their catalog. by Thom Jurek  
Tracklist :
1    Banshee    5:49
John Abercrombie
2    Number 9    5:26
John Abercrombie
3    Vingt Six    4:20
John Abercrombie
4    Wishing Bell    8:17
John Abercrombie
5    Bred    7:05
John Abercrombie
6    Tres    6:11
John Abercrombie
7    Round Trip    4:59
Ornette Coleman
8    Epilogue    5:14
Bill Evans
9    Elvin    8:23
John Abercrombie
10    Fine    3:23
John Abercrombie
Credits :
Double Bass – Marc Johnson
Drums – Joey Baron
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – John Abercrombie
Producer – Manfred Eicher
Violin – Mark Feldman

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    7:13
John Abercrombie
2    Line-Up    7:16
John Abercrombie
3    Wait Till You See Her 5:40
Music By – Richard Rogers/Lorenz Hart
4    Trio    5:10
John Abercrombie
5    I've Overlooked Before    7:28
John Abercrombie
6    Anniversary Waltz    9:25
John Abercrombie
7    Out Of Towner    6:11
John Abercrombie
8    Chic Of Araby    8:22
John Abercrombie
Credits :
Double Bass – Thomas Morgan
Drums – Joey Baron
Guitar – John Abercrombie
Producer – Manfred Eicher
Violin – Mark Feldman

MICHAEL BRECKER QUINDECTET - Wide Angles (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

An early 2002 tour of the U.K. found Michael Brecker playing his old material with a larger band that included some instruments usually falling outside the standard jazz combo (i.e., oboe, French horn). Perhaps a live recording of the genesis of this album would have been preferable since Wide Angles provides such mixed results. For such a large band with so many great players, it all ends up being window-dressing. The recording makes Brecker the center of attention, and despite some truly lyrical playing, there's little interaction between soloist and ensemble. The ten tracks (nine by Brecker with Don Grolnick's "Evening Faces," the exception) are a suite, according to Brecker and arranger Gil Goldstein. When it sticks to the cerebral and introspective, it flows very well. Even if he isn't paying much attention to what's going on behind him, Brecker is at least expressive and as inspired as ever. The standard-issue fusion and funk of "Night Jessamine," where the quindectet are totally superfluous, trips things up and should have been left to a smaller unit. With so much focus on the tenor saxophonist, Brecker fanatics will justifiably go ape. Listeners wanting to hear mainstream bassist John Patitucci, the usually experimental violinist Mark Feldman, or any of the other capable players interacting will find their roles too supportive. by David Jeffries 
Tracklist:
1 Broadband 6:48
Michael Brecker
2 Cool Day In Hell 7:51
Michael Brecker
3 Angles Of Repose 6:42
Michael Brecker
4 Timbuktu 7:58
Michael Brecker
5 Night Jessamine 5:23
Michael Brecker
6 Scylla 10:40
George Whitty / Michael Brecker
7 Brexterity 6:41
Michael Brecker
8 Evening Faces 7:14
Don Grolnick
9 Modus Operandy 5:27
Michael Brecker
10 Never Alone 5:42
Michael Brecker
Credits:
Arranged By – Gil Goldstein (tracks: 3, 6, 8)
Bass – John Patitucci
Bass Clarinet – Iain Dixon
Cello – Erik Friedlander
Clarinet – Iain Dixon
Composed By – Don Grolnick (tracks: 8), George Whitty (tracks: 6), Michael Brecker (tracks: 1 to 7, 9, 10)
Drums – Antonio Sanchez
English Horn – Charles Pillow
Flute – Steve Wilson
French Horn – Peter Gordon
Guitar – Adam Rogers
Oboe – Charles Pillow
Percussion – Daniel Sadownick
Producer, Orchestrated By, Conductor, Arranged By [Additional Arrangement] – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone, Producer, Arranged By – Michael Brecker
Trombone – Robin Eubanks
Trumpet – Alex "Sasha" Sipiagin
Viola – Lois Martin
Violin – Joyce Hammann, Mark Feldman