Curatorial skills are key in designing an album’s flow, and from the Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn opener to Joe Henderson’s “Punjab” at the tail end, the guitarist connects quite a few dots on the new Natural Selection. A feisty little gig at Newport last summer still floats through my mind; there’s something unique about the blend of Abbasi’s strings and Bill Ware’s vibraphone, and something even more unique about the well-coordinated dodgeball game he sanctions for his rhythm section. They can get heated onstage.
Fri., Oct. 8, 9 & 10:30 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 9, 9 & 10:30 p.m., 2010