| Timeless | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by John Abercrombie | ||||
| Released | 1974 | |||
| Recorded | June 21 & 22, 1974, Generation Sound Studios, New York | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 43.36 | |||
| Label | ECM | |||
| John Abercrombie chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information. | |
Timeless is jazz guitarist John Abercrombie's debut album as leader, recorded in 1974. Critically acclaimed at the time, the album has since come to be regarded as a seminal work of jazz fusion, although the music itself is original enough to defy such categorisation.
Contents |
In Abercrombie's own words: "The original intent was to do something that reflected my origins, playing with organ groups in the late 60's". The album partnered Abercrombie with Jack DeJohnette and Czech keyboardist Jan Hammer on Hammond organ. Both had strongly established fusion credentials, Hammer on the keyboard and synths for the Mahavishnu Orchestra and on Billy Cobham's classic 1973 Spectrum, and DeJohnette, amongst others, on the Miles Davis album, Bitches Brew. Musically, Timeless takes its cues from all of these sources and is especially interesting for the input of creative players of the class of Hammer and DeJohnette. However, Abercrombie's touch is present throughout, resulting in a mood closer to In A Silent Way than Bitches Brew and a subtler and more restrained sound than much of the virtuoso fusion being played at the time.
Four Abercrombie originals are played with two written by Hammer, "Lungs" and "Red and Orange". "Lungs" begins as a high-octane organ/guitar workout, which subsides and then shifts into a Billy-Cobham-esque R&B groove. "Red and Orange" is similarly aggressive, with Abercrombie's lead underpinned by deep percussive organ from Hammer. "Love Song" and "Remembering" are acoustic guitar ballads from Abercrombie, and both are rare showcases for Hammer on the acoustic piano. "Love Song", as its title implies, is slow and soulful, while "Remembering" is a more complex and unsettling piece. "Ralph's Piano Waltz" is a low-key, swinging piece, with perfectly balanced phrase-work from both guitar and organ.
Although the album is far more than a showcase for one track, the title song "Timeless" can clearly be considered the most well-remembered track. The key to the song, which was one of Abercrombie's first, is its simple composition. A low drone lends the song's beginning an otherworldly, spacey feel, before subsiding and moving into the simple four-chord descending sequence. Through this, background organ, synth effects and drums build the intensity and pace as Abercrombie's phased guitar moves from the core melody into lightning fast solo.