Search - John Abercrombie :: Open Land

A peerless jazz masterpiece - immaculate.

Joe O'Connell | Cork Ireland | 09/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For the musical explorer, Open Land is one of those rare and precious prizes - an absolutely perfect album. The sound is excellent (as you'd expect from an ECM recording) and the instrumental palette is perfect - rich and varied, but never cluttered (only four of the six musicians play at any time). Abercrombie provides spine-tingling thrills when he gets into his strident, evocative trips, but his guitar is mostly an omnicient, discreet presence, augmenting but never intruding on his virtuosi guests. In particular, Kenny Wheeler provides magesterial flugelhorn statements throughout, understated yet confident, providing a gorgeous, "breathy" brass texture to the overall sound; Joe Lovano exudes soul on the tenor sax, and Mark Feldman's brilliant flourishes beg re-evaluation of the violin as a lyrical, even psychedelic sound in jazz. Abercrombie's graciousness in leaving the best themes and solos for his guests to perform repays handsomely in the end, since it results in a richly textured soundscape. But the "regulars" deserve enormous credit too, excelling in their roles and certainly far from being outshone, even by the stellar performances of the guests: Adam Nussbaum's percussion is subtle, shimmering and colourful; Dan Wall's organ is always restlessly probing, providing an undercurrent of mystery and intrigue. Above all, the themes are magnificent - engaging and unforgettable, often hauntingly so (especially the slightly chilling and desolate lines stated on Wheeler's muted trumpets), marking Abercrombie as an exceptional composer of wonderful tunes. The album's calm pace, cool rythyms and pellucid sounds evoke bright winter sunshine - it has a crystal sheen to it, and an air of mystery and wonder. Open Land is a triumph of genuine musical alchemy, and one of the outstanding records of any idiom, any time. Immaculate."

Mixed Feelings

Bernard | 08/23/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The majority of reviews here are emphasising the merits of the expanded ensemble on this album; no complaints here, as the music is very good and the interplay is often terrific.However, I have reservations about John Abercrombie's guitar playing on this disc. Whilst it is always interesting, I feel it lacks the power and conviction of some of his earlier work. If I am not mistaken, some time in recent years he has abandoned the use of a plectrum. His lines were always so fluid and articulate; he could express his amazing creativity so well. This has seemingly been replaced by a more limited fingerstyle ability. (If this is not the case, perhaps someone could enlighten me as to the reason for the sudden change in his style, and his sound!) His soloing on the last few efforts is, to my ear, rather scrabbled and scratchy-sounding. As a result, I have mixed feelings about this album, and indeed his other recent work too. (This same sound is evident in recent albums with Charles Lloyd, and the 'Hudson Project' too. I haven't heard 'Cat 'n' Mouse', but presumably it will be the same.) I for one hope this is a passing trend in John's music, though it would appear not to be the case. But let's be fair, this is still a lovely album all things considered. As other reviewers have pointed out, the focus here is not Abercrombie's guitar work. This is a good thing, and necessary by nature of the music here; and there is some fine music here. John Abercrombie the guitarist has played much better, but Abercrombie the composer is still as amazing as ever. All the other players are top notch and they all sound great. Call me one-eyed if you like, because despite that fact I still really miss Marc Johnson and Peter Erskine!"