John Abercrombie: I've Been Overlooked Before

John Abercrombie has long been a distinctive guitarist, but he utilizes a distinctive approach to his compositions as well. Many of his songs appear to be more like clusters of connected chords, not conventional progressions. In that regard, many of Abercrombie—s creations, such as —I—ve Overlooked Before,— follow closely the original modal concepts first widely introduced in Miles Davis— Kind Of Blue, especially —Flamenco Sketches.— As Davis did for that consummate exercise in modality, Abercrombie creates a mood for —Overlooked— more than he does a melody. Each musician contributes to the mood in specific ways: Feldman—s violin provides the harmonic chords, Morgan—s bass bleats out notes that signal the direction of the song and Baron—s drum produce shadings and texture (and vaguely, the beat).

Abercrombie is liberated to fill in the colors, which he does with imagination and grace. It—s a peaceful and floating piece, and it could be easy to overlook the shapes being developed by the four musicians, but a close listen underneath the surface reveals the perspicacity that comes from Abercrombie—s highly nuanced artistry.