back to browsing

Third Ear

Rez Abbasi
1 disc

Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 4
Credits

Producer
Engineer
Personnel includes: Rez Abbasi (acoustic & electric guitars, synthesizer); Bill Drewes (saxophone); Bob Mintzer; Ben Perowsky; Kenny Werner; Marc Johnson; Peter Erskine.
Includes liner notes by Peter Erskine.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
Though Rez Abbasi can handle hard bop and standards, it is as a fusion and post-bop player that the guitarist has been the most exciting. The L.A. native showed a great deal of promise as both a soloist and a composer on Third Ear, a solid fusion-oriented date employing Kenny Werner (acoustic piano), Marc Copland (electric keyboards), Peter Erskine (drums), the Yellowjackets' Bob Mintzer (tenor & soprano sax) and others. Abbasi isn't one to favor volume for the sake of volume, and his lyrical inclinations serve him well on such thoughtful originals as "For the Birds and the Bees," "Mood Sketch" and the mysterious, Weather Report-ish "Elephant Island." Abbasi's solos give the impression that he was listening to a lot of Pat Metheny at the time (along with some Bill Frisell), although by the late 1990s, Metheny's influence wouldn't be as prominent in his playing. This CD made it clear that Abbasi was someone to keep an eye on. ~ Alex Henderson
Critic Reviews

JazzTimes (7-8/95, p.124) - "One of the brighter young participants working in and around the embattled world of fusion, guitarist Rez Abbasi shows an uncanny flair, with no clear categorical party line. A solid player...Abbasi diversifies his instrumental timbres...just as he keeps his compositional options open....a fresh voice worth hearing."