Dan McCarthy - City Abstract (2019)

City Abstract is Canadian vibraphonist Dan McCarthy’s second release for the Seattle based label Origin Records. On this album, McCarthy pays tribute to two of his biggest influences: jazz legends Carla Bley and Gary Burton. Joining him are three of Canada’s most respected improvisers, and three of the most influential teachers from his time at Humber College: guitarist Ted Quinlan, bassist Pat Collins, and drummer Ted Warren.

In addition to a selection of Burton and Bley inspired originals, McCarthy and co. tackle a pair of 70s jazz classics: Pat Metheny’s Midwestern Nights Dream and Keith Jarrett’s Coral. This collection of songs feels thoroughly contemporary but also hints at the classic ECM sound of the 1970s.

In March of 2019, after 15 years in New York City, McCarthy returned to Toronto to pursue a Masters degree in Jazz Composition at York University on a full fellowship. The past decade and a half of experience playing with a who’s who of modern jazz (Steve Swallow, Ben Monder, Mark Feldman, George Garzone, Myron Walden, Rudy Royston, Thomas Morgan, Mark Shim, Ari Hoenig, Gerald Cleaver, and Ingrid Jensen) has deeply informed McCarthy’s unique approach to improvisation and composition – an approach that is on prominent display on this innovative new record.

Dan McCarthy: vibraphone
Ted Quinlan : guitar
Pat Collins: bass
Ted Warren: drums