| Things to Come | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 25, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | December 15 & 16, 2008 and January 20, 2009 | |||
| Studio | Systems Two, Brooklyn. NY | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 58:41 | |||
| Label | Sunnyside SSC 1236 | |||
| Producer | Michael Marciano | |||
| Rez Abbasi chronology | ||||
| ||||
Things to Come is an album by guitarist Rez Abbasi which was recorded in late 2008 and early 2009 and released on the Sunnyside label. [1] [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| All About Jazz |  [4] |
| All About Jazz | [5] |
The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek stated "Abbasi's complex lyric lines – which were all composed on instruments other than guitar – engage his sidemen to solo through them and arrive at a destination that creates yet another possibility. Iyer in particular pushes the melodic frame of each tune with his percussive, intricate approach to counterpoint, whereas Mahanthappa traverses along the outside of these edges and Abbasi changes his soloing style for each tune. But it's the rhythm section that astonishes most on this set. The variations on themes, on other rhythmic structures, and on striated time figures are all offered to the listener as a unified whole. Ultimately, Things to Come is ... more proof in the pudding that the integration of South Asian music into the jazz idiom and its tradition is complete, creating entirely new possibilities for both. This is not an album that sums up the past, but brilliantly and soulfully points to new futures". [3]
In Guitar Player Barry Cleveland wrote " this latest recording from the Pakistani-American guitarist represents another step forward in the realization of his personal vision... Abbasi's compositions are highly sophisticated and complex, containing myriad polyrhythmic crosscurrents and dynamic shifts, yet he and his crew brilliantly navigate these challenging waters without ever forsaking the groove or losing sight of the emotional landscape underlying them. Abbasi's guitar playing is magnificent throughout, whether comping behind the other soloists, intertwining with Mahanthrappa's scintillating sax excursions, or stepping out front. His tones are warm and seductive, and his superb phrasing and ornamentation elevate what would otherwise be merely formidable bop chops into the empyrean realms of fusion mastery". [6]
On All About Jazz Mark F. Turner noted "It would be in incorrect to state that Abbasi has arrived, with his already impressive body of work, but Things To Come, as aptly titled, signals a new chapter in the evolution of a masterful musician and thinker, leaving much anticipation for what he'll deliver next". [4] On the same sire Glenn Astarita said "With his sixth outing as a leader, Pakistani-American guitar hero Rez Abbasi continues to reinvent himself, both musically and ideologically. He intertwines the quest for growth with a sense of humanity on this compelling release. Interspersed with ceremonious Eastern song-forms, Abbasi helps turn a new leaf on the sometimes staid, progressive-jazz realm". [5]
All compositions by Rez Abbasi
Vijay Iyer is an American composer, pianist, bandleader, producer and writer based in New York City. The New York Times has called him a "social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway". Iyer received a 2013 MacArthur Fellowship, a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a United States Artists Fellowship, a Grammy nomination, and the Alpert Award in the Arts. He was voted Jazz Artist of the Year in the DownBeat magazine international critics' polls in 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2018. In 2014, he received a lifetime appointment as the Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts at Harvard University, where he was jointly appointed in the Department of Music and the Department of African and African American Studies.
Rudresh Mahanthappa is a New York-based jazz alto saxophonist and composer.
Mary Halvorson is an American avant-garde jazz composer and guitarist from Brookline, Massachusetts.
Everybodys Mouth's a Book is an album by Henry Threadgill featuring eight of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill & Make a Move. The album was the first album on the Pi Recordings label and was released simultaneously with Up Popped the Two Lips by Threadgill's Zooid in 2001.
Up Popped the Two Lips is an album by Henry Threadgill featuring seven of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill's Zooid. The album was the second album on the Pi Records label and was released simultaneously with Everybodys Mouth's a Book by Threadgill & Make a Move in 2001.
Class Trip is an album by American jazz guitarist John Abercrombie recorded in February 2003 and released by ECM on April 26th, 2004. The quartet features violinist Mark Feldman and rhythm section Marc Johnson and Joey Baron.
Rez Abbasi is a Pakistan-born American jazz guitarist, composer, and record producer based in New York City.
Be Still is an album by Dave Douglas' Quintet with guest vocalist and guitarist Aoife O'Donovan which was released in September 2012 on the Greenleaf Music label. The album was released in response to the loss of his mother.
Splay is the second album by drummer Jim Black's AlasNoAxis featuring clarinetist/saxophonist Chris Speed, guitarist Hilmar Jensson and bassist Skúli Sverrisson released on the Winter & Winter label in 2002.
Tirtha is an album by pianist Vijay Iyer with Prasanna and Nitin Mitta recorded in 2008 and released on the ACT label in 2011.
Blood Sutra is an album by pianist Vijay Iyer recorded in 2003 and originally released on the Artists House label before being reissued on Pi Recordings in 2006.
Reimagining is an album by American jazz pianist Vijay Iyer, which was recorded in 2004, originally released on the Savoy label and reissued in Europe by Pi Recordings. The follow-up to Blood Sutra, the record features nine Iyer's compositions for his quartet with Rudresh Mahanthappa on alto sax, Stephan Crump on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums, and a solo piano interpretation of John Lennon's "Imagine".
Tragicomic is an album by American jazz pianist Vijay Iyer, which was recorded in 2007 and released on the Sunnyside label. The follow-up to Reimagining, the record features ten Iyer's compositions for his quartet with Rudresh Mahanthappa on alto sax, Stephan Crump on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums, and two covers: a dub version of Bud Powell's "Comin' Up" and a solo piano interpretation of the standard "I'm All Smiles".
Lágrimas Mexicanas is an album by guitarists Vinicius Cantuária and Bill Frisell which was released on the French Naïve label.
Architextures is the second studio album by American jazz pianist Vijay Iyer recorded with eight musicians. The album was released on October 13, 1998 via Asian Improv Records label. The tracks 3, 4, 7, 9 were recorded by a trio of Iyer, Brock, and Hargreaves. The tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11 were recorded by an octet. The tracks 1 and 12 were recorded solo by Iyer.
Raw Materials is a studio album by American jazz pianist Vijay Iyer and American jazz saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa. The album was released on May 23, 2006 via Savoy Jazz label.
Currents, Constellations is an album by The Nels Cline 4 that was released in April 2018 by the Blue Note label.
Dan Weiss is an American jazz drummer and composer who lives in Brooklyn, New York, United States.
Prophecy is an album by bassist Fred Hopkins and cellist and composer Diedre Murray. It was recorded in August 1990 at RPM Studios in New York City, and was released by About Time Records in 1998. On the album, Hopkins and Murray are joined by guitarist Brandon Ross and drummer Newman Baker.
August Love Song is an album by trombonist Roswell Rudd and singer Heather Masse. It was recorded in 2016 at Nevessa Production in Woodstock, New York, and was released by Red House Records later that year. On the album, Rudd and Masse are joined by guitarist Rolf Sturm and bassist Mark Helias.