Track Listing

1. Jazz Folk
2. Touch of Your Lips
3. Moon and Sand
4. Walter Pigeon
5. Everything I Love
6. Embraceable You
7. 3 for Three
8. Turn Out the Stars
9. Missing You
10. How Deep Is the Ocean

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16874 in Music
• Released on: 2006-08-15
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Super Audio CD - DSD
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Customer Reviews

A Timeless Classic, and the Triumphant Return of a Guitar Master
John Abercrombie is the consummate guitarist's guitarist: revered by his fellow players, often overlooked in the jazz press, and virtually ignored by the mainstream media. The string of groundbreaking albums he recorded in the 1970s and 80s -- including his debut as a leader, "Timeless"; his recordings with Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette as the Gateway Trio; as a sideman on Collin Walcott's brilliant "Cloud Dance"; his exquisite duets with Ralph Towner; and his own dynamic albums with the John Abercrombie Quartet featuring the equally underrated Richard Beirach -- established him as one of the most talented, original, and superbly tasteful players in modern jazz. His singing tone and fluid lines recalled Jim Hall at his best, while his melodic lyricism approached the heights of pianist Bill Evans, a major influence on him.

In the last decade or so, however, Abercrombie's career has seemed unfocused. Despite some fine organ-trio recordings and several worthwhile albums with violinist Mark Feldman released on ECM, Abercrombie has seemed to dissipate his powers on numerous substandard recordings for boutique labels like Steeplechase, relying on peculiarly acid tones and distorted effects that drain the life out of his unique gift for heart-rending melodicism.

Now, with "Structures," not only has Abercrombie made a stunning return to form, he has recorded one of the instant jazz classics of our time -- a standard-bearer the way Jim Hall's "Undercurrent" and Wes Montgomery's early recordings were. "Structures" sounds both contemporary and utterly timeless, and should be regarded as one of the most important jazz-guitar albums of the decade.

It doesn't hurt that "Structures" is also one of the high points of the brilliant career of Eddie Gomez, the longest-standing bass player in the Bill Evans Trio, and a visionary, muscular musician in his own right. The Chesky label that prides itself on uncluttered recording techniques has finally captured the sound of Gomez's bass with the astonishing fullness, articulation, and depth that it deserves. Even listened to as a standard CD (I don't have an SACD player), the sounds of all three players -- including the excellent drummer Gene Jackson -- are presented with crystalline clarity and warm, spacious ambience.

The trio navigates through a well-chosen program of standards and originals with imaginative grace and a level of mutual listening that has only been approached by the very finest small groups in jazz. Its recording of the poignant Evans original "Turn Out the Stars" -- which Gomez performed dozens of times with its composer, and was surely a milestone in Abercrombie's jazz education, owing to Jim Hall's diamond-like accompaniment -- is the most heartbreaking recording of the tune to date outside of Evans' own. The trio stretches out on "How Deep is the Ocean" with masterful empathy, orbiting around Irving Berlin's familiar themes while extending them into fresh territory. "Moon and Sand," a melancholy tune by Alex Wilder that deserves wider acclaim, is a haunting, brooding gem, and Abercrombie and Gomez originals like "Jazz Folk" and "Walter Pigeon" are explored with the same rich balance of introspection and group exuberance.

Listeners who gave up on Abercrombie in the mid-80s should pick up this album right away to discover how gracefully the former guitar prodigy has matured. Gomez fans will instantly recognize "Structures" as one of the finest performances of the bass player's exemplary career. And throughout, Gene Jackson's drumming is swinging, sensitive, and supremely professional.

This album deserves 6 stars. Abercrombie, Gomez, and Jackson should be congratulated for producing one of the most enjoyable, sublimely understated, and superbly recorded jazz recordings of our era.

BACK TO A TRIO...AND ABOUT TIME
I was overjoyed to see that Abercrombie was reunited with Gomez (they were integral to DeJohnette's mid-70's New Directions) in this trio format which I prefer much more to his recent releases. While he's made nice contributions to some of Charles Lloyd's late sessions, I was mildly turned off to his violin adventure with Marc Feldman and so this is a welcome return to traditional guitar, bass and drums. Not as muscular as the Gateway albums but the recording is extraordinary and the selections beautiful. This one can stay in my CD changer.

Trio In The Evans Mode
Instead of the fusion influenced "Gateway" trios serving as a comparison to this smooth, SACD performance, the famous trios of Bill Evans should be a guide (and as pointed out, bassist Eddie Gomez played for several years with Evans.) Each of the musicians has bought into the "less is more" approach, particularly Abercrombie and Gomez, who can both be overly voluble in different contexts. The SACD format highlights the sound of the instruments themselves in this analog-quality recording-it's a damn shame that SACD plants such as Sony's are closing in this i-Pod era, as quality of sound is eschewed for merely having a small delivery device. But at least this recording will serve as a standard of what a guitar trio should sound like. It's hard to believe this was a "pick-up" gig and not a long-time, working unit, as the rapport between the players is tremendous