A rare Japanese-only album - one that presents familiar songs from Porgy & Bess, but delivered in a completely sublime setting - just the bass of George Mraz and the piano of Roland Hanna - opening up with a sense of flow that really transforms each tune into a very special creative moment! Mraz is at his best here - with that round yet sharp tone that makes some of his 70s performances so wonderful - and Hanna complements his playing beautifully with his own balance of force and lyricism - maybe more sometimes on the left hand than usual, but also never slavishly tied to rhythm - just carrying a bit more of the sound without the drums.

As part of ECM'0bs Old & New Masters series of box sets, John Abercrombie's The First Quartet collects three albums recorded for the label between 1978 and 1980. Two titles, 1979's Abercrombie Quartet and 1981's M, have been unavailable for decades. By the guitarist's own admission, this band represents the guitarist's first time as a "proper" bandleader. His earlier dates on ECM had been co-led sessions (Timeless, Gateway, Sargasso Sea), a solo album (Characters), and sideman gigs (Jack DeJohnette's New Directions, David Liebman's Lookout Farm, etc.). These three dates also represent an important foundation for Abercrombie as a composer.

You couldn't have asked for a more sensitive, intuitive acoustic bassist in the '70s, '80s, and '90s than George Mraz. From Stan Getz and Joe Henderson to Hank Jones, Oscar Peterson, Jimmy Rowles, and Tommy Flanagan, the Czech bassist has accompanied one heavyweight after another since arriving in the U.S. in 1968. But surprisingly, Mraz didn't record as a leader until 1991. His first two albums, 1991's Catching Up and 1995's My Foolish Heart, were recorded for the Japanese Alfa label, and it wasn't until 1995's Jazz that Mraz finally recorded for an American label as a leader. Much of this excellent hard bop/post-bop CD finds him leading a trio that includes Richie Beirach on acoustic piano and Billy Hart on drums, although the trio becomes a quartet when tenor saxman Rich Perry steps in on Wayne Shorter's "Infant Eyes" and Mraz's brief "Pepper" (written for baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams)…

This 1993 recording is a follow-up to an earlier duo session by Andy LaVerne and John Abercrombie, although they add bassist George Mraz and drummer Adam Nussbaum for this date. Following a rather upbeat, introspective arrangement of the standard "Beautiful Love," they stick to originals by either the pianist or the guitarist. LaVerne's "Mother of Pearl" is a shimmering post-bop work that is full of surprises, while "Opal" is a treasure of a different sort, prominently featuring Abercrombie's brittle-sounding electric guitar. Abercrombie's "Monk Like" has a quirky line much like its namesake might employ, and the unpredictable ballad "Farewell" serves as an appropriate conclusion to this enjoyable CD.