Up and Coming is a studio album by the John Abercrombie Quartet, recorded in April and May 2016 and released on ECM Records in January 2017—the final studio album by Abercrombie, who died in 2017. The quartet features rhythm section Marc Copland, Drew Gress, and Joey Baron.
Contents
Reception
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80, based on four reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
Paul de Barros of DownBeat stated, "A solid follow-up to 2013's 39 Steps, the new album by the John Abercrombie Quartet— Marc Copland (piano), Drew Gress (bass) and Joey Baron (drums)—is another quiet, delicately balanced outing with an ebbing and flowing undercurrent that recalls the understated loveliness of Bill Evans and Jim Hall. As Abercrombie fans know, the guitarist has dialed back his trademark reverb in favor of a classic, single-note glow. However, listening to his quartet still feels pleasantly like taking a warm sonic bath."
John Fordham of The Guardian said, "The whole album is the quintessence of jazz power in reserve."
Personnel
John Abercrombie Quartet
John Abercrombie – guitar
Marc Copland – piano
Drew Gress – double bass
Joey Baron – drums
Production
Manfred Eicher – producer
Thom Beemer – assistant
Nate Odden – assistant
James Farber – engineer