diff --git a/spark/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/spark/SparkInterpreter.java b/spark/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/spark/SparkInterpreter.java
index 7d134ee1c9c..60613d3d5ab 100644
--- a/spark/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/spark/SparkInterpreter.java
+++ b/spark/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/spark/SparkInterpreter.java
@@ -276,15 +276,21 @@ public SparkContext createSparkContext() {
         classServerUri = (String) classServer.invoke(interpreter.intp());
       } catch (NoSuchMethodException | SecurityException | IllegalAccessException
           | IllegalArgumentException | InvocationTargetException e) {
-        throw new InterpreterException(e);
+        // continue instead of: throw new InterpreterException(e);
+        // Newer Spark versions (like the patched CDH5.7.0 one) don't contain this method
+        logger.warn(String.format("Spark method classServerUri not available due to: [%s]", 
+          e.getMessage()));
       }
     }
 
     SparkConf conf =
         new SparkConf()
             .setMaster(getProperty("master"))
-            .setAppName(getProperty("spark.app.name"))
-            .set("spark.repl.class.uri", classServerUri);
+            .setAppName(getProperty("spark.app.name"));
+
+    if (classServerUri != null) {
+      conf.set("spark.repl.class.uri", classServerUri);
+    }
 
     if (jars.length > 0) {
       conf.setJars(jars);
diff --git a/spark/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/spark/ZeppelinR.java b/spark/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/spark/ZeppelinR.java
index 93a3bcb5899..0ff07403911 100644
--- a/spark/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/spark/ZeppelinR.java
+++ b/spark/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/spark/ZeppelinR.java
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@
 import org.apache.zeppelin.interpreter.InterpreterException;
 import org.apache.zeppelin.interpreter.InterpreterOutput;
 import org.apache.zeppelin.interpreter.InterpreterOutputListener;
-import parquet.org.slf4j.Logger;
-import parquet.org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
 import java.io.*;
 import java.util.Collections;