CLASS TRIP

The ongoing, quietly relentless musical trek of guitar great John Abercrombie has been, and continues to be, a pleasure to witness. On 2004's Class Trip, double-bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron help him along this time, with the solid aid of Mark Feldman who makes his violin sing with emotional accompaniment and harmonic support. Though not the favored team in Abercrombie's stable of talent, this ensemble create some lush and sensitive jazz images with both improvisation and linear structure on hand at any given moment, slipping between the two invisibly with occasional shades of classical and even folk, and sometimes we are reminded of the sounds of John McLaughlin and Jerry Goodman as they explored the possibilities of stylistic infusion.

The session sounds great and is thoroughly pleasant but it also presents such a subtle foundation that the overall impression is easily missed, and the album can meander a bit between the stronger passages, creating the sense of a 'jam record' rather than the delicate but sure presence that the music certainly has. The album is indeed one long jam but there is more going on than just another of Abercrombie's forays into nu-jazz, and paints a lovely portrait of abstraction with dark-chocolate strokes and rich texture.