...with a keen appreciation for suspense and patient development, (McCarthy) tests the boundaries and borders of shadows and shape with stunning results.
Harkening back to the era of classic Gary Burton recordings such as Dreams So Real and Passengers, vibist Dan McCarthy pays tribute to Burton and Carla Bley, another towering influence on his musical development, for his second Origin release. Recently returning to Toronto after 15 years in New York City, McCarthy teams with highly regarded Toronto-based improvisors, guitarist Ted Quinlan, Pat Collins on bass, and drummer Ted Warren, to present six new originals inspired by Burton and Bley, as well as compositions from Bley ("Utviklingssang"), Pat Metheny ("Midwestern Nights Dream"), and Keith Jarrett ("Coral").
"An extraordinary musical ability and a boundless imagination" - Gary Burton
Track Listing:
1. Bleyto (For Carla Bley) 4:26
2. Midwestern Nights Dream 6:31
3. Coral 5:35
4. Go Berserk 3:21
5. Sparrow Lake 8:38
6. Other Things of Less Consequence 5:45
7. Utviklingssang 5:21
8. Thoughts and Reveries 5:13
9. Desert Roads (For Gary Burton) 8:32
(1,4,5,6,8,9) by Dan McCarthy, Dan McCarthy Music (SOCAN)
(2) by Pat Metheny, Pat-Meth Music (BMI)
(3) by Keith Jarrett, Kundalini Music (BMI)
(7) by Carla Bley, Alrac Music (BMI)
Performers:
Dan McCarthy - vibraphone
Ted Quinlan - guitar
Pat Collins - bass
Ted Warren - drums
Production Info:
Produced by Dan McCarthy and Marc Koecher
Recorded by Jeremy Darby & Marc Koecher at
The Canterbury Music Company, Toronto, ON,
on May 29, 2019
Mixed by Marc Koecher at MK Soundworks, Toronto, ON
Mastered by Jeff "Fedge" Elliott at Fedge Mastering, Toronto, ON
Cover photograph by Larry McCarthy
Dan photo by John Rogers
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
Reviews of City Abstract
All About Jazz (FRIEDRICH KUNZMANN)
Canadian vibesman Dan McCarthy has come a long way since the release of his already very accomplished debut album Interwords (self produced) in 2006. Since moving to Brooklyn, New York in 2004, McCarthy has been able to collaborate with some of the city's finest improvisors, such as Steve Swallow or Ben Monder who are also the musicians joining him ...
Midwest Record (Chris Spector)
Call me insular, but I've never thought Carla Bley got the respect and recognition she really deserved. As long as I'm complaining, I've never thought vibe fans have gotten the love they deserve. Here's one record that rights many wrongs. Inspired by classic Bley/Gary Burton collaborations and loaded with stunning vibe playing throughout, McCarthy ...
All About Jazz (Dan Bilawsky)
4-STARS The concept of homecoming is inextricably linked to the music that Dan McCarthy presents on City Abstract. Recorded in May of 2019, shortly after he had returned to his native Toronto after fifteen years in New York, this date finds the vibraphonist bowing to two of his biggest influences: pianist Carla Bley and vibraphonist Gary Burton. T ...
The Jazz Music Blog (Australia) (Marty "Memphis" Delia)
On City Abstract, contemporary jazz vibraphonist Dan McCarthy pays homage to the masters Carla Bley and Gary Burton by reinventing their compositions and adding a modern feel and production without taking anything away from the originals. His masterful strokes are playful and stylistic and his passion for the vibes is very prominent. Add to this th ...
Textura (Ron Schepper)
Even before listening to City Abstract, it's possible to form some idea of where Dan McCarthy's coming from: on the Canadian vibraphonist's second release for the Seattle-based Origin Records, two tunes are affectionate tributes to Carla Bley and Gary Burton, and covers of classic material by Bley, Keith Jarrett, and Pat Metheny also appear. If a b ...
KZSU - Stanford (Tom McCarter)
Vibraphonist McCarthy returns to his native Toronto after fifteen years in New York & creates an ode to the city. He works his way through originals & a few choice covers with a balanced approach that speaks both to strength and poise, & the romance embedded in the act of repatriation adds a touch of nostalgic allure to the music. He also pays trib ...
Roots Music Report (Robert Silverstein)
5-STARS No sooner had Dan McCarthy released his early 2019 release Epoch, then he returned again in late 2019 with a follow up album on Origin called City Abstract. Where Epoch, recorded in NYC, was kind of a star studded affair, complete with appearances of guitarist Ben Monder and bass legend Steve Swallow, the May 2019 recording of City Abstrac ...
The Wholenote (Colin Story)
Vibraphonist Dan McCarthy's newest album, City Abstract, heralds the Toronto native's return to his hometown, after 15 years living in New York and working with the likes of Steve Swallow, Ben Monder and George Garzone. City Abstract is a Canadian affair: recorded earlier this year at the Canterbury Music Company, it features the quartet of McCarth ...
JazzHalo (Belgium) (Georges Tonla Briquet)
The Canadian vibraphonist Dan McCarthy likes to color outside the lines. For example, on 'Let's Start The Show' he introduced a banjo into his musical universe, while 'Constellation' was a duo album with pianist Gordon Webster, all about free improvisation. On 'Epoch' he was joined by Steve Swallow, Ben Monder and Mark Feldman. "City Abstract" is a ...
DownBeat (Suzanne Lorge)
3 1/2 STARS For City Abstract, Dan McCarthy penned six dynamic originals to celebrate the work of two of his mentors, pianist Carla Bley and fellow vibraphonist Gary Burton. To start, he opens the album with "Bleyto (For Carla Bley)," an uptempo, ringing tune with postbop vitality that stands in stylistic contrast with the closing track, "Desert R ...
Jazz Journal (London) (Nigel Jarrett)
A young vibraphonist couldn't wish for more in the way of plaudits than an endorsement from Gary Burton. In part it's a measure of how jazz vibes playing has divided roughly into two phases: first, it involved hitting the instrument's bars as a drummer might, then a generation later coaxing from them arabesques of sound by almost disguising how suc ...
