Things to Come

“Things To Come” is a group realization of a very ambitious batch of compositional notions. Abbasi is extremely successful in this pursuit. ” 4 1/2 Stars
– John Corbett, DOWNBEAT

“Abbasi now sees his sixth album as a leader hit the streets, and it’s exceptional. Not just because of the badass group he assembled — though it does help — but because Abbasi’s own talent as a composer, arranger and player. ”
– Spinner.com

“Remarkable rhythmic and melodic facility, sophisticated harmonic conception, distinctive use of odd intervals are all on display in Abbasi’s guitar improvisations…Things To Come blends elements of jazz, funk, South Asian and classical music with engaging ingenuity.”
– JazzTimes

“Things to Come” is the strong new statement from Rez Abbasi, a Pakistani-American guitarist with a taste for fluid introspection and slippery fusions.”
– New York Times

” Things To Come signals a new chapter in the evolution of a masterful musician and thinker. The music, though challenging, is steeped in emotion and imagination… captivating, fascinating and riveting.”
– All About Jazz

“From start to finish, Things to Come is an intoxicating, stimulating, exciting listen, and that will be true many times over.” The Ottawa Citizen

“The guitarist creates little puzzles for his team to solve, and the lyricism they bring to their collective efforts makes the process both enjoyable and fascinating.”
– Jim Macnie, DOWNBEAT

“There is not a weak moment in this program. Add up the positive qualities of this CD, the intelligent compositions and arrangements, the sparkling solos, the great interplay and the result is Rez Abbasi’s most mature and rewarding recording to date.”
– Hartford Courant

“If part of jazz’s appeal centers on the way tension is both created and crushed, the guitarist’s new Things To Come should capture a fair amount of listeners. His connection to cohorts Rudresh Mahanthappa and Vijay Iyer is deep, and their interplay generates little swirls of melody that erupt into full-blown storms before you even know the wind is blowing. That’s partly due to Abbasi’s pen—his tunes are mathy (and slightly M-BASEd) without being monotonous.
– Village Voice

” The pieces continually create and defer expectations, and often come together in stunning climaxes.”
– Jazziz

“Abbasi’s compositions are highly sophisticated and complex, containing myriad polyrhythmic crosscurrents and dynamic shifts. His guitar playing is magnificent and his superb phrasing and ornamentation elevate him into the empyrean realms of fusion mastery.”
– Guitar Player Magazine

“Things to Come is a beautiful meld of South Asian and vanguard jazz, and an intense meld of rhythmic and harmonic approaches that are utterly seamless. This is not an album that sums up the past, but brilliantly and soulfully points to new futures.” 4 Stars
– All Music Guide

“Of all the recent experiments blending music from South Asia with jazz, “Things to Come” may be the most elegant and seamless. This music, superbly conceived and played, makes far-flung diversity feel like the mainstream of its art.”
– Popmatters.com

“His latest recording, Things To Come, is a truly original work that defies quick and easy categorizing and is a testament to his deep compostional and technical abilities.”
– Abstractlogix.com

“By adding ideas from the lengthy history of music on the Indian sub-continent, Abbasi is able to develop a unique and fascinating conception for his music. This is exotic and exciting while still being accessible, and it is very fresh and thoughtfully produced.”
– Jazzandblues.blogspot.com

“This is a fine outing by a stellar band … an exciting dialogue which varies the mixture in its invigorating juxtapositions.” 90/100
– Jazz.com

“Abbasi signals in a polytonal and multi-directional muse for progressive-jazz, where hope looms mightily. It’s an outing that reaffirms, and then extends his spiraling stature within global jazz factions. His acute perception and vision, coupled with a distinctly broad music vernacular translates into an album that irrefutably yields the bountiful fruit.”
– All About Jazz/Glenn Astarita