Guitarist John Abercrombie makes a good percentage of this record with Joey Baron/dr, Drew Gress/b and Marc Copland/p with song titles in reference to classic Alfred Hitchcock movies. Any real reason? Not sure, but while each tune is an understated delight, Joey Baron’s subtle drumming produces a subliminal agitation beneath all of the songs’ melodies that is not unlike the tension that Hitch builds up in many of his films. Abercrombie skates over Baron’s cymbals on “39 Steps” like a character in a John Buchan novel, while he’s as elegant and understated as Cary Grant in “Shadow of Doubt.” A gentleness not unlike James Stewart is revealed as Abercrombie glides along on “Vertigo,” and some relaxed piano by Copland on “Bacharach” is as stately as Ray Milland. Some of these melodies have a Grace Kelly beauty and litheness to them. You might want to search north by northwest to track down this one.
ECM Records
www.ecmrecords.com