Now that's jazz!

John Abercrombie is one of the world's elite jazz guitar players. For 30 years, he's been making music that ranges from standards to pretty out there psychedlic jazz. Last night, at Cambridge's Regatta Bar, Abercrombie was fully on his game with one of his recent, and one of his best, groups. Joey "what a monster" Baron on drums, Marc Johnson on bass, and Mark Feldman on violin all give and took with Abercrombie in a challenging two hour set of nearly free jazz.

I had the pleasure of seeing Abercrombie with that great Charles Loyd group of a few years ago. Then, as with his own, there was a lot of interplay on stage. So many jazz bands today have fallen into the rut of play the head, take turns on solos, take the head out. No matter how great the solos are, I miss it when the other guys aren't reacting. No worries with Abercrombie & Co. They listen, they react, they even step on each other (and laugh about it).

This outfit has done a couple of albums, one of which I have loved since it came out: Cat & Mouse. That album is notable for the wonderfull interplay between Feldman and Abercrombie. Normally, I like jazz violin about as much as rock acordion. But Feldman has such a sweet tone and finds ways to be rhythmic and discordant without screeching. He and Abercrombie seem to read each other's minds, often engaging in prolific trading, in which first one, then the other takes the lead.

A word must be said about Baron. I saw him with Bill Frisell in the last couple of years and while he played a bit differently, he was equally spectacular. He's one of those guys who combines ferocity with texture. I mean, he plays the crap out of the kit, but he keeps the volume and the fireworks just in check. He's very inventive, playing with everything from his fingertips to all kinds of odd looking drum sticks, all in the name of varying the tone. But he's quite frenetic, always pushing the group, always giving structure to the silences. That combination of drive and texture makes him special. For any jazz with a taste of rock or at least modernity, he's one of the best there is these days.

Abercrombie seemed very comfortable playing to the packed house (on a Tuesday night!) and joked around between several songs. He also joked with Baron while playing. Jazz can often take itself a little too seriously. This night, it was all about playing free and seeing where it takes you.

I can't wait to hear the album.