Customer Reviews

Three Guitars (Hybr)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

John Abercrombie is the consummate guitarist's guitarist. His recordings -- stretching over a prolific 30-year career -- have explored every fruitful vein of modern jazz guitar playing, from swinging straightahead post-Jim Hall standards work, to swinging organ soul-funk trios, to hushed multilayered ECM acoustic, to free jazz and beyond, all stamped with Abercrombie's inimitable melodic sensibility. In the liner notes for this amazing album, fellow guitarist Larry Coryell describes Abercrombie as "cliche-free." It's an apt comment. On this record, Abercrombie teams up with a young Brazilian guitarist/flautist/vocalist named Badi Assad and Coryell himself, who made his name playing on archetypal early fusion albums in the '70s, and went on to play more straightahead fare in later years, with an unmistakable stinging attack and verve for gutsy lines.

On this record, the three musicians play all acoustic music in a profoundly intimate setting, recorded in a church in NYC's Chelsea district. For Abercrombie, this is a particularly welcome return. In the liner notes for the CD, Abercrombie confesses that he hasn't touched his acoustic guitar in three years, which is a damn shame. "Characters," his first solo album on ECM, contained exquisite acoustic playing of nearly Bach-like subtlety and stateliness; his two recordings with master guitarist Ralph Towner (the second, "Five Years Later," is sadly out of print) were intimate duets that equalled the telepathic majesty of Jim Hall and Bill Evans' masterpiece, "Undercurrent." In recent years, alas, Abercrombie has increasingly relied on effects-laden electric playing that sounds pinched and gimmicky compared to his earlier work. Hearing his distinctive acoustic playing here is like greeting a much-loved old friend after years' absence.

Assad's presence gives this session an overall Brazilian flavor. On a couple of tracks, she adds Flora Purim-style vocalizations that do not detract from the quiet loveliness of the tracks. Abercrombie brings a few of his best compositions to the session, from the recent "Descending Grace" to two from his debut album as a leader, "Timeless" and "Ralph's Piano Waltz." "Timeless" is simply one of the most beautiful jazz melodies ever written, as primordial as an Indian raga and full of wise sadness and meditative calm. Abercrombie has only recorded the tune a handful of times, so its reappearance here is a major event. (Towner's group Oregon's cover of it on their album "Friends" was one of the high points of their own 30-year career.) Abercrombie adds a folksy quality to its introduction on this album, and when Assad comes in on kalimba, the music approaches the glistening loveliness of Coryell's own early album with the Oregon crew, "The Restful Mind." Fans of that record, and of Abercrombie's work with Towner, should pick up this album right away. For those new to Abercrombie's work, this album provides a fine introduction to his more introspective side, while Coryell is in fine, vital and tasteful form throughout.

Altogether, this is one of the most beautiful acoustic guitar albums in years. A classic recording.

Didn't know what to expect when I picked up this CD. I was quite familiar with Larry Coryell and John Abercrombie, but knew nothing about Badi Assad. Larry and John deliver as expected, but its Badi who gives this session unique sounds and seasonings. Her vocalizing and "percussion" comes out of nowhere, and fits right in. Reminds me a bit of the sound Chick Corea had with Flora Purim and Airto. And her nylon-string guitar adds a color you don't find in your typical two-guitar jazz album.

While not all the tunes are masterpieces, there's a plenty of variety and fresh musical ideas. If you're looking for an album that's about blazing guitar pyrotechnics, then this probably isn't for you. Instead, this one is full of tasteful, expressive musicianship and an easy, sensistive interplay, yet with a generous dose of chops. This ain't "smooth jazz" by any means, but rather the creative effort of true artists.

The recording is clean and clear, with a real "you are there" feeling. I've been listening to this one over and over...

Not everything works perfectly on this outing. There is a little culture-clash here and there. The ones that do work are quite good, however. It is especially nice to hear the mostly electric John Abercrombie again dust off his acoustic and a couple of his better compositions. Ralph's Piano Waltz and Timeless are two of his best, and both sound quite good here.
I agree that Badi's guitar doesn't sound as good as the others, but her playing is very good. Larry always plays well and certainly does on this recording. The overall feel to the record is much more low-key than I anticipated. A good effort overall. Looking forward to the next...

I was fortunate enough to see this trio play live during their stint at the Jazz Standard in NYC promoting this album (which I bought at the show), and I was blown away. Any of these players could stand on their own, but as a group it places them in a unique dimension as performers. Not only are the solos and interplay by and among the guitarists great, but the three-guitar arrangements on some of the pieces sound great, as they move from harmonized parts to unison parts to heavy chordal parts. Even when they really free up the structure, as in the end of 'Metamorphosis,' the interaction is fabulously well-measured. As for the compositions, this disc provides a great mix of works from each member. Coryell's 'New Lute Prelude' and 'Exercise in Fourths' are both great intricate pieces that were definitely written for guitar. Abercrombie's pieces (which are all songs he has played in other settings) all have a very airy impressionistic feel. 'Soundtrack' especially sounds great in this setting (almost equal in beauty to the version on Abercrombie's 'Cat and Mouse' session). Both his and Coryell's solos on this sound fabulous, considering how difficult Abercrombie's songs are to improvise over. I'm surprised at all of the complaints that this disc is getting. I think that the sound quality is fabulous, even with Assad's nylon string guitar. I also think that the inclusion of Assad's new agey Brazilian style is a fresh addition to these guys, who are usually found playing in more typical settings. Assad's percussion and singing is also very flavorful. When I saw them live, she did a mouth/throat percussion solo that blew my mind. Not only is the act itself difficult, but she knew how to improvise with it in perfect rhythm. All in all, this record is a great example of three great guitar players blending their diverse styles to create a fabulous amalgamation.

Backed by multi-talented Brazilian musician Badi Assad, veteran jazz guitarists John Abercrombie and Larry Coryell deliver their most sensitive performances on record.

Recorded at St Peter's Church in New York City, and engineered by Barry Wolifson, this recording absolutely sparkles. Each track has a relaxed unhurried pace, with a looseness that harkens to a live performance. Each player has a distinctive sound: Abercrombie has a rich full tone and is recorded on the right; Coryell has a sharp stinging attack and is on the left; and Assad, the anchor, is in the center. The jazz guitarists state most of the lead lines and improvisation, but it is Assad that holds up much of the foundation with her rhythm guitar and background percussion and vocal work. Though their styles are very different and the material is challenging, it is the empathy that each of the guitarists share that is the strength of this record.

The thirteen tracks are each complex pieces that are played impeccably by the guitarists. Abercrombie and Coryell provide four pieces each, with Assad adding five. Each has enough twists and turns to remain interesting. They range from Coryell's dynamic "No Flight Tonight," to the remake of Abercrombie's beautiful haunting melody "Timeless." Assad moves the pieces in unexpected directions by adding a variety of sounds, including mouth and body percussion and the sound of the kalimba.

Abercrombie and Coryell have been recording since the 1960s and have appeared on two other albums together: Michal Urbaniak's excellent 1975 fusion album "Fusion III," and the 1985 "All Strings Attached." It is a great treat to hear them playing together again in such fine form.

I hate to disagree with the other two reviewers, but they played little role in my decision to buy this disk. As a fan of Larry Coryell's acoustic music -- I saw him twice in Washington DC in the early 1980s -- the prospect of a recording featuring him with a talented relative newcomer Badi Assad, along with a well-respected fusion innovator in his own right, John Ambercombie, plus Chesky's usually unparalleled recording quality was too much to resist. However, this disk fails to exhibit much passion, primarily due to a mismatch between the skills of the three individuals. Coryell's blues-inspired string bending is strangely out of place in Brazilian music, nor does it match well with the vocalizations of Assad because of the resulting mismatch in pitches. The rhythm flags and is out of sync, the American guitar players not being familiar with Brazilian rhythms. Finally, despite this being a Chesky disk, the recorded sound of Assad's nylon-strung Fisher guitar matches poorly with the two steel-string guitars, sounding wooden and thunky. I was disappointed, too, in the tiny, poorly done photo fragments.

I bought this CD because I love the sound of the guitar- and the sound quality of this disk is great as expected for a Chesky recording. However, I just cannot enjoy music with the New Age / Avant Garde elements that Badi Assad adds to the tracks. Making popping sounds with her mouth, for example, ruins the music for me. If you are looking for CLASSIC or CLASSICAL guitar, this disk will disappoint you. There are a couple of tracks that are more traditional, but maybe not enough to justify buying the whole disk. On the other hand, if you appreciate avant garde innovations, then you might enjoy this CD more than I have.