John Abercrombie (guitarist)

For other people of the same name, see John Abercrombie (disambiguation).
John Abercrombie

John Abercrombie at Bratislava Jazz Days 2007
Background information
Birth name John Abercrombie
Born (1944-12-16) 16 December 1944
Port Chester, New York, United States
Genres Progressive jazz, jazz fusion, post-bop, hard bop, avant-garde jazz
Occupation(s) Guitarist, composer
Instruments Guitar
Associated acts Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Brecker Brothers, Dave Holland, Ralph Towner, George Mraz, Richie Beirach, Peter Erskine, Marc Johnson, Adam Nussbaum, Mark Feldman, Joey Baron, Marc Copland, Jan Garbarek, Paul Bley, Andy LaVerne, Charles Lloyd, Enrico Rava, Lonnie Smith, Kenny Wheeler, John Scofield, Bob Brookmeyer, Joseph Tawadros, Gateway, Jan Hammer, Larry Coryell, Drew Gress, Tal Farlow, John Patitucci, Billy Hart, Larry Carlton, Hein van de Geyn, Joe LaBarbera, Joe Beck, Bobby Hutcherson, Dave Liebman, John Surman, Henri Texier, Bob Mintzer
Website www.johnabercrombie.com

John Laird Abercrombie (born December 16, 1944)[1] is an American jazz guitarist, composer and bandleader. His work often explores jazz fusion, post bop, free jazz and avant-garde jazz. Abercrombie studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He recorded his debut album, Timeless with Manfred Eicher's ECM label, and has recorded principally with this label since. Abercrombie has played with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker, to name a few. He is known for his spare, understated, and eclectic style and his work with organ trios.[2]

Early life

John Abercrombie was born on December 16, 1944, in Port Chester, New York. His family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, where he grew up. He picked up the guitar at the age of 14.[2] He began by playing along to Chuck Berry, but discovered jazz by listening to Barney Kessel.[3] He attended Berklee College of Music from 1962 to 1966 and studied under famed guitar educator Jack Petersen.[4] He often played with other students at Paul’s Mall, a jazz club in Boston connected to the larger club Jazz Workshop. The gigs at Paul’s Mall facilitated meetings with organist Johnny Hammond Smith and the Brecker Brothers (saxophone player Michael Brecker and his brother, trumpet player Randy Brecker). Smith asked Abercrombie to play with him, and they performed at Boston’s Big M club as well as on tour.[2][3]

Career

Early career

Abercrombie graduated from Berklee in 1967 and briefly attended North Texas State University before moving to New York in 1969.[2] Once there he quickly became one of the “most in-demand session players,"[3] recording with Gil Evans in 1974, Gato Barbieri in 1971, and Barry Miles in 1972 among others. In 1969, he joined Dreams, one of the first jazz rock bands, which rose to prominence in the late 60s and early 70s and featured the Brecker Brothers and drummer Billy Cobham.[4] He also recorded on several of Cobham’s albums, Crosswinds, Total Eclipse and Shabazz. Abercrombie’s following began to grow at this point, largely due to Dreams’s growing success. They found themselves sharing the bill with such major rock acts as the Doobie Brothers, and Abercrombie found his career taking a direction he had not expected. “One night we appeared at the Spectrum in Philadelphia and I thought, ‘what am I doing here?’. It just didn't compute."[3]

Timeless

Then, in 1973 German jazz producer and founder of the ECM label Manfred Eicher invited Abercrombie to record for ECM. He then recorded his first solo album, Timeless, in 1974 with drummer Jack DeJohnette and Hammond organist Jan Hammer. The album was well received and has been critically acclaimed.[2] This release marked the beginning of Abercrombie’s fruitful relationship with ECM.[4] Its understated and subdued sound was also representative of the music Abercrombie continued to make over the course of his career. Abercrombie followed this release in November 1975 with the album Gateway, recorded with DeJohnette and bassist Dave Holland. The second album with this trio, referred to as the Gateway Trio, was released in June 1978.[3]

Other Work as a Leader

After the Gateway albums, Abercrombie changed his playing style and instrumentation, moving toward a more traditional format. He recorded Arcade, the Abercrombie Quartet, and M with pianist Richie Beirach, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Peter Donald. Abercrombie said of this quartet, “it was extremely important to have that group . . . it was my first opportunity to really be a leader and write consistently for the same group of musicians."[3] During the mid-1970s and into the 1980s, he also contributed to ensembles led by DeJohnette and took part in a number of other sessions for ECM, occasionally doubling on electric mandolin. He also toured with guitarist Ralph Towner. During the mid-1980s, he continued to play standards with Mraz, and he played in a bop duo with guitarist John Scofield.[2] Abercrombie began experimenting with a guitar synthesizer in 1984 while recording in a trio with Marc Johnson on bass and Peter Erskine on drums, also using the synthesizer while working in Paul Bley’s free-jazz group in 1986. He continued to do so until around 1990.[2] This trio released three albums during this time showcasing Abercrombie’s synthesizer work: Getting There with Michael Brecker in 1987, Current Events in 1988, and John Abercrombie, Marc Johnson, & Peter Erkstine in 1989. The synthesizer allowed him to play, as he described it “louder, more open music.” [3]

1990s-present

The 1990s and 2000s marked a time of constantly changing associations. In 1992, Abercrombie, drummer Adam Nussbaum and Hammond organist Jeff Palmer made a free-jazz recording. He then started a trio with Nussbaum and organist Dan Wall. They released While We Were Young and Speak of the Devil in 1993, and Tactics' in 1997. Abercrombie also added trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, violinist Mark Feldman and saxophonist Joe Lovano to the trio to record Open Land in 1998. The Gateway band even reunited for a 1995 release, Homecoming. Throughout the 1990s and beyond, Abercrombie has worked with jazz musicians, such as with John Scofield for the 1993 release Solar. He has also had a partnership with guitarist, pianist and composer Ralph Towner.[3]

Legacy and style

John Abercrombie continues to tour and record heavily and remains strongly associated with ECM, with whom he has had a relationship for at least 40 years. His playing style is “spare” and “understated,” and he has managed to continue to experiment and push the boundaries of jazz while retaining a firm grounding in jazz tradition. He also utilizes electronic effects and timbre changes to achieve an emotional effect. As he said in an interview, “I'd like people to perceive me as having a direct connection to the history of jazz guitar, while expanding some musical boundaries.”[3]

Discography

As leader

With Gateway

As sideman

With Gato Barbieri

With Joe Beck

With Paul Bley

With Marc Copland

With Jack DeJohnette

With Gil Evans

With Jan Garbarek

With Danny Gottlieb

With Bobby Hutcherson

With Andy LaVerne

With Dave Liebman

With Rudy Linka

With Charles Lloyd

With Czesław Niemen

With Jeff Palmer

With Enrico Rava

With Johnny "Hammond" Smith

With Lonnie Smith

With Stark Reality

With John Surman

With Henri Texier

With Collin Walcott

With Kenny Wheeler

With others

References

  1. ↑ Robinson, J. Bradford; Kernfeld, Barry (2002). "Abercrombie, John (Laird)". In Barry Kernfeld. The new Grove dictionary of jazz (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. pp. 4–5. ISBN 1561592846.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "CONSORT Libraries /All Locations". Oxfordmusiconline.com.dewey2.library.denison.edu. 2010-10-06. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "John Abercrombie." Bio. N.p., 2007. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "CONSORT Libraries /All Locations". Oxfordmusiconline.com.dewey2.library.denison.edu. 2010-10-06. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  5. ↑ "Ease On". Valley Entertainment-Sledgehammer Blues. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  6. ↑ "Rava* - Katcharpari (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 1973-01-10. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  7. ↑ "The Bush Crew". Valley Entertainment-Sledgehammer Blues. Retrieved 17 June 2010.

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