The Most Beautiful Sounds Next to Silence

Gary Burton’s 1973 recording is now re-released as one of 50 in ECM’s excellent Touchstones series, serving as a timely reminder of just how important that label remains. The overarching vibe (no pun intended) on The New Quartet is similar to Mike Gibbs’ eponymously titled debut album, but minus the big band. This is largely attributable to Abraham Laboriel’s huge bass guitar sound that’s not unlike that evinced by Jack Bruce on the Gibbs album, especially on the opener, Chick Corea’s Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly.

Laboriel, in common with the other three members of the quartet, was an alumnus of Berklee College of Music. Guitar Player magazine called him “the most widely used session bassist of our time” and he’s ranked at number 42 in Bass Player magazine’s list of “The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time”. Glossy magazine hyperbole aside, he really is an extraordinarily good bassist. Further evidence of Laboriel’s talent is displayed with his jaw-dropping solo on Burton’s Brownout and likewise in his frenetic break on Mike Gibbs’ Nonsequence; the handover on this track from bass to Mick Goodrick’s lightning-fast, spiralling embellishments forms a seamless musical relay race.

(https://jazzjournal.co.uk)