Music for Abandoned Heights (IMPEX Records, 2025)

There’s a particular kind of anticipation that comes with a new John McLaughlin release — not nostalgia, not reverence, but the feeling that he might still surprise us. Music for Abandoned Heights does exactly that. It arrives without fanfare, born from an unreleased film project, yet it feels fully realized: concise, atmospheric, and quietly adventurous in all the ways guitarist McLaughlin’s late-period work can be when he’s given room to move.

The music began life as the score to a yet-unreleased film, but it doesn’t play like a collection of cues. The director gave McLaughlin complete freedom, much like the wide-open process Miles Davis enjoyed for Elevator to the Gallows, a project McLaughlin has always admired. You can feel that latitude here. These pieces are compact and cinematic, but they’re not fragments — they’re fully formed musical ideas, each carrying its own atmosphere and sense of motion.

A big part of why the album works so well is the band. McLaughlin has always chosen collaborators who can move with him, and this group feels locked in from the start:

• Gary Husband is the secret glue here. His drums give the music its forward lean when the tension builds, but his keyboard contributions are just as essential — subtle colour, harmonic movement, and connective tissue.

• Julian Siegel adds tenor and soprano saxophone, bringing a lyrical, breathing quality that plays beautifully against McLaughlin’s precision.

• And then there are the two bassists: Misha Mullov-Abbado on acoustic bass for the more reflective material, and Etienne Mbappé, whose electric bass instantly alters the gravitational center. That alternating low end gives the album more shape and contour than you might clock on a first pass.

Some listening notes:

“The Scene” opens the record in confident fashion — vibrant, complex, and fully alive. Drums, bass, sax, guitar, and keys work in layered motion, giving you a clear sense of the album’s vocabulary.

“Curaçao Dream” is a standout: a floating, dreamlike meditation built entirely around a single, heartbreakingly beautiful guitar line. No drums, no bass — just McLaughlin reaching inward.

“Will and Elijah on The Train” has a gentle propulsion, the rhythm section nudging it forward while keyboards and sax carve lyrical lines overhead. A slightly muted, wonderfully expressive guitar solo closes the track with a quiet emotional punch.

“Elijah in DC” brings a big, blues-tinged guitar sound from McLaughlin. Husband and Siegel shine here, delivering one of the album’s most sophisticated, moody exchanges.

“Nathaniel and Christine” echoes the atmosphere of Curaçao Dream but adds acoustic bass, gentle cymbals, and a lovely piano passage that complement McLaughlin’s expressive playing. It feels like wandering through soft, illuminated air.

For listeners craving complexity, the dizzying time signatures and fusion firepower show up too — “DC Basketball” scratches that itch nicely. Each track shows a different facet of this ensemble, with no two pieces leaning on the same formula.

John McLaughlin. Photo Credit: Guitar World

The sound and production

The recording — engineered by George Murphy at Eastcote Studios in London — has a clean, dimensional presentation with real air around the instruments. The clarity is striking without ever feeling clinical. Chris Bellman’s mastering and lacquer cutting preserve that sense of space beautifully, delivering an LP with openness, depth, and warmth.

IMPEX also earns genuine praise for full transparency: the all-digital recording chain, from capture through lacquer cutting, is clearly documented on the packaging. In an era of murky or incomplete disclosure, that honesty is refreshing.

The RTI pressing is superb: quiet, centered, and free of distraction. Art director Robert Sliger delivers a high-gloss gatefold with elegant typography, subtle finishes, and the sort of tactile touches IMPEX collectors have come to appreciate. A full booklet with track-by-track commentary from McLaughlin completes the package.

Executive Producer Abey Fonn and Associate Producer Bob Donnelly have every reason to be proud. This release meets a remarkably high standard on every front: world-class musicianship, compelling new music, excellent recording quality, and a presentation that honors the project’s intent and stature.

If there’s a single theme that kept surfacing for me, it’s renewal.

McLaughlin isn’t revisiting old ground — he’s still exploring, still refining, still pushing into expressive territory that feels unmistakably his. Music for Abandoned Heights stands on its own as a compact, thoughtful, and surprisingly emotional statement from an artist who continues to create with purpose.