A couple of tracks apart (Clint and Hippityville) this is much the Abercrombie of old, deviating little from the prescribed ECM house style. He has been seduced by the false gods of new technology, most noticeably on the aforementioned relatively strident exceptions to his own general rule, but in the main he adheres to established working procedures. Fondly cradling the trusted acoustic, or coaxing willowy tones from the guitar synth, he shows most favour for typically mild and melancholic ballads like Alice, Ralph, Lisa and Still. He serves such material well, and given the space allotted to it, this seems the kind of milieu in which he is happiest. Rather more abrasive is the eponymously titled Killing Time, where time and motion are indeed periodically stifled; unlike the other sections, Time seems to grow out of moment-by-moment interaction between the musicians and reminds me of side two of Metheny’s 1984 Rejoicing session, with Coleman alumni Higgins and Haden. Erskine and Johnson are impeccable as ever, and attack the blowing sections of the comparatively bright Clint and the slightly more sinister Hippityville with vigorous understatement. Everywhere, Abercrombie is a thoughtful if not hesitant soloist who seems to be at pains to avoid a climax. He specialises in dreams and desolation and in many respects could well be the Godfather Of New Age.
Discography
Clint; Alice In Wonderland; Ralph’s Piano Waltz; Lisa (23.20) – Hippityville; Killing Time; Still (25.16)
John Abercrombie (g/g syn); Peter Erskine (d); Marc Johnson (b). Recorded Oslo, September 1985.
(ECM 1311)
