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John Abercrombie E-mail
Written by Staff Reporter   
Thursday, 11 September 2008
He may not have anything approaching the same profile as fellow jazz fusion six stringers John McLaughlin, Bill Frisell or Pat Metheny, but US guitarist John Abercrombie has nevertheless earned himself a reputation as a veritable powerhouse and dexterous talent on the jazz circuit through a series of ever evolving projects that have spanned the genre.
He is viewed by his peers as a guitarist who has tirelessly pushed the boundaries of improvised music while still relating directly to the jazz tradition. While others dabble with electronica, jam band sensibilities, world music and Americana, Abercrombie, no matter how forward-reaching his music has become, has, first and foremost, remained a jazz guitarist. Even with the more free-thinking chamber work of his current quartet, there is a clear tie with tradition that separates him from his peers.

He’s returning to Ireland with his long standing colleague Joey Baron, one of the world’s greatest drummers, for a creative encounter with two of the best this country has to offer in saxophonist Michael Buckley and bassist Ronan Guilfoyle. The collective pedigree is such that the prospect of memorable music making seems a reasonable assumption. At its helm is Abercombie, whose singular pursuit of his own voice over four decades has created a substantial corpus of work that includes revered trios like Gateway, seminal recordings with Jan Garbarek, and the more recent output of his own stellar quartet for ECM. Joey Baron has been there for much of it, defying category, combining soul with intellect and a paragon of the drums as narrative, as well as rhythmic, tool in jazz.

There are no passengers in this band, and Guilfoyle and Buckley will relish the opportunities to play off Abercrombie’s sinous lines and Baron’s deep signature groove, notwithstanding the dramatic use of space that is a vital facet of their respective styles. Guilfoyle now commands time with great authority and through it shapes the playing of those around him, and Michael Buckley has matured into a tenor of global stature who seems to have few impediments to melodic expression. Think groovy, short form tunes with strong motifs and tasty chords that these four are bound to set about with some gusto. This is happening on Friday, September 12.

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