JOHN ABERCOMBIE

Born 1944 in Port Chester, NY, John Abercrombie grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, and began playing the guitar at the age of fourteen. By the time he was out of high school, he was ready to veer away from imitative Chuck Berry licks in favor of learning to play the instrument more seriously. While enrolled at Boston's Berklee College of Music, Abercrombie worked with other students and played local clubs and bars. "it was pretty much your standard guitar-organ-drums set up."


An offer to tour with organist Johnny Hammond led to his going on the road for weeks at a time, playing such spots as Count Basie's Lounge and the Club Baron in Harlem. During that same period, Abercrombie met the Brecker Brothers who were in the process of forming Dreams. They invited Abercrombie to play with them, and he was heard on Dreams' debut album on Columbia.

In 1969, following graduation from Berklee, Abercrombie decided to head south in hopes of breaking into the New York music scene. In the next few years he developed into one of New York's most in-demand session musicians. He recorded with Gil Evans, Gato Barbieri, Barry Miles and many other artists, and also became a regular with Chico Hamilton's group.

It was as the guitarist in Billy Cobham's band that Abercrombie first began attracting widespread attention among the general public. This ensemble was something of a Dreams reunion since it also featured the Brecker Brothers. Abercrombie is heard on Cobham's Crosswinds, Total Eclipse and Shabazz albums. He found himself playing large concert halls and arenas, on bills with such top rock attractions as the Doobie Brothers. "One night we appeared at the Spectrum in Philadelphia and I thought, what am I doing here?"

A short time later, at the Montreux Festival, Abercrombie ran into Manfred Eicher who invited him to record an album for ECM, The result was Timeless, on which he was joined by Jan Hammer and Jack DeJohnette. It received virtually unanimous critical acclaim. Gateway was released in November 1975; it marked the first collaborative effort of Abercrombie with DeJohnette and bassist Dave Holland. A second Gateway recording was released in June 1978. In 1979, Abercrombie formed his own quartet, which included pianist Richie Beirach, bassist George Mraz and drummer Peter Donald. The group has made three recordings: Arcade, Abercrombie Quartet, and M.

Abercrombie has also recorded with many other ECM artists; the most significant collaborations must surely be with drummer Jack DeJohnette (Abercrombie appears on all of DeJohnotte's Directions and Now Directions albums) and with fellow guitarist Ralph Towner. Abercrombie and Towners Sargasso Sea was released in 1976 and Five Years Later in 1982.

Abercrombie's touring trio with Mark Johnson and Peter Erskine is heard on Current Events, Getting There (with frequent guest Michael Brecker) and John Abercrombie/Marc Johnson/Peter Erskine. Critic, Chuck Berg has described the group as "solidified ... to the point where its sixth-sense interactions create a singleness of vision associated only with Olympian ensembles such as the trios of pianists Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson". On Current Events, released in 1988, John used guitar synthesizer for the first time on record. John Abercrombie/Marc Johnson/Peter Erskine, released in 1989, was recorded in Boston on April 21, 1988 and documents this innovative trio, live. Repertoire from their four-year association is presented, and standards often linked with Bill Evans are given resplendent treatment. On the 1990 release Animato, John collaborates with composer/synthesist, Vince Mendoza and drummer John Christenesen, and presents eight original compositions.

John's affinity for jazz standards complements his role as an active clinician and teacher. While preparing for a Harvard lecture, where John surveyed the history of jazz guitar, he explained 'When I'm playing tunes like Autumn Leaves or Stella By Starlight, as much as I've played those tunes over the years, I still enjoy playing them. And because I know them so well, I'm very free with them. I'm just as free with them as when I'm playing no chords at all. That, to me, is free jazz,"

John Abercrombie possesses a unique voice as a jazz guitarist combining evolving technologies with a tradition well represented by jazz standards. Further insight from a 1988 Jazziz interview:

Carrying on the tradition of jazz guitar from Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt to the present day is a very important aspect of my music… I'd like people to perceive me as having a direct connection to the history of jazz guitar, while expanding some musical boundaries which may not always involve the guitar itself.'

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John Abercrombie (born December 16, 1944 in Port Chester, New York) is an American Progressive jazz guitarist. Aside from his solo work he is known for his work with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette and the Brecker Brothers. Abercrombie has recorded principally with the ECM label of Manfred Eicher. He also often explores the parameters of jazz fusion and post bop.

Abercrombie is 1967 graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He was presented with a Berklee College of Music Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998. Abercrombie's first notable recordings were two albums with the jazz-rock band Dreams in 1970.

The ongoing groups he has led or co-led include:

Gateway, with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette (mid-1970s, and again mid-1990s)
duo with guitarist Ralph Towner (starting mid-1970s, occasionally through mid-1990s)
quartet with pianist Richie Beirach, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Peter Donald (late 1970s to early 1980s)
trio with bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Peter Erskine (mid-1980s to early 1990s)
trio with organist Dan Wall and drummer Adam Nussbaum (through 1990s)
quartet with violinist Mark Feldman, bassist Marc Johnson, and drummer Joey Baron (starting 2000)

Discography

Timeless (1974) with Jack DeJohnette & Jan Hammer
Characters (1977) solo
Arcade (1978) quartet with Richie Beirach
Straight Flight (1979)
Abercrombie Quartet (1979) quartet with Richie Beirach
M (1980) quartet with Richie Beirach
Night (1984) with Jack DeJohnette, Jan Hammer & Mike Brecker
Current Events (1985) with Marc Johnson & Peter Erskine
Getting There (1987) with Marc Johnson, Peter Erskine & Mike Brecker
John Abercrombie/Marc Johnson/Peter Erskine (1988) live
Animato (1989) with Vince Mendoza and Jon Christensen
While We're Young (1992) with Dan Wall and Adam Nussbaum
November (1993) with Marc Johnson, Peter Erskine & John Surman
Speak of the Devil (1994) with Dan Wall and Adam Nussbaum
Tactics (1996) with Dan Wall and Adam Nussbaum
Open Land (1999) with Dan Wall, Adam Nussbaum, Kenny Wheeler, Joe Lovano, Mark Feldman
Cat 'n' Mouse (2000) with Mark Feldman, Marc Johnson, & Joey Baron
Class Trip (2003) with Mark Feldman, Marc Johnson, & Joey Baron
Structures (2006) trio with Eddie Gomez and Gene Jackson
Farewell (2006) with George Mraz, Andy Laverne, Adam Nussbaum
The Third Quartet (2007) with Mark Feldman, Marc Johnson, & Joey Baron

With Gateway with Jack DeJohnette & Dave Holland:

Gateway (1975)
Gateway 2 (1977)
Homecoming (1994)
In the Moment (1994)

With Henri Texier:

Colonel Skopje (1988; 1995)

With Ralph Towner:

Sargasso Sea (1976)
Five Years Later (1981)

With Andy LaVerne

Nosmo King (1994)
Now It Can Be Played (1995)
Where We Were (1996)
A Nice Idea (2006)

With Kenny Wheeler:

Deer Wan (1977)
Music for Large & Small Ensembles (1990)
The Widow in the Window (1990)
It Takes Two! (2006)

With Marc Copland:

Second Look (1996)
That's For Sure (2002)
...And (2002)
Brand New (2004)

With Jeff Palmer:

Abracadabra (1987)
Ease On (1993)
Island Universe (1994)
Shades of the Pine (1994)
Bunin the Blues (2001)

With Lonnie Smith

Afro Blue (1993)
Purple Haze: Tribute to Jimi Hendrix (1995)
Foxy Lady: Tribute to Jimi Hendrix (1996)

With Charles Lloyd

Voice in the Night (1999)
The Water is Wide (2000)
Hyperion with Higgins (2001)
Lift Every Voice (2002)

With others:

Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop (1970) with Stark Reality
New Directions (1978) with Jack DeJohnette
Eventyr (1980) Jan Garbarek and Nana Vasconcelos
Drum Strum (1982) George Marsh, reissued as Upon a Time Album of Duets (1994)
Solar (1983) John Scofield
Witchcraft (1986) with Don Thompson
Emerald City (1987) with Richie Beirach
Landmarks (1991) Joe Lovano with Ken Werner, Marc Johnson and Bill Stewart
Double Variations (1990) Tim Brady
Brooklyn Blues (1991) Danny Gottlieb with Jeremy Steig, Gil Golstein, Chip Jackson
Electricity (1994) with Bob Brookmeyer and the WDR Big Band
Bush Crew (1995) Les Arbuckle, Mike Stern ,Essiet Okon Essiet, Victor Lewis
Standard Transmission (1997) Pat LaBarbera, Jim Vivian, Jacek Kochan
The Hudson Project (2000) Peter Erskine, John Patitucci & Bob Mintzer
Animations (2003) with John Basile
Three Guitars (2003) Badi Assad, and Larry Coryell
Speak Easy (2004) with Jarek Smietana, Harvie S, Adam Czerwinski
As We Speak (2006) Mark Egan trio with Danny Gottlieb
Baseline: The Guitar Album (2007) with Hein Van De Geyn
Topics (2007) with John Ruocco
Robert Balzar Trio: Tales (recorded 2006, released 2008)

TV Appearances

SOLOS: the jazz sessions (2005 - Bravo! Canada)

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(Born 1944, Port Chester, NY). John Abercrombie, who comes from Greenwich, Connecticut, began playing the guitar at fourteen, and by the time he was out of high school, he was ready to veer away from imitative Chuck Berry licks in favor of learning to play the instrument more seriously. He enrolled at Boston's Berklee School of Music. While there, Abercrombie worked with other students and played local clubs and bars. "It was pretty much your standard guitar-organ-drums set up." An offer to tour with organist Johnny Hammond Smith led to his going on the road for weeks at a time, playing such spots as Count Basie's Lounge and the Club Baron in Harlem. During that same period, Abercrombie met the Brecker Brothers who were in the process of forming Dreams. They invited Abercrombie to play with them, and he was heard on Dreams' dubut album on Columbia.

In 1969, following graduation, Abercrombie decided to head South in hopes of breaking into the New York music scene. In the next few years he developed into one of New York's most in-demand session musicians. He did record dates with Gil Evans, Gato Barbieri, Barry Miles and many other artists, and also became a regular with Chico Hamilton's group. It was as the guitarist in Billy Cobham's band that Abercrombie first began attracting widespread attention among the general public. This ensemble was something of a Dreams reunion since it also included the Brecker Brothers. Abercrombie is heard on Cobham's "Crosswinds", "Total eclipse" and "Shabazz" album. He found himself playing large concert halls, and arenas on bills with such top rock attractions as the Doobie Brothers. "One night we appeared at the Spectrum in Philadelphia and I thought, what am I doing here?". 

A short time later, at the Montreux Festival, Abercrombie ran into Manfred Eicher who invited him to record an album for ECM. The result was Timeless, on which he was joined by Jan Hammer and Jack DeJohnette. It received virtually unanimous critical acclaim. Gateway was released in November, 1975; it marked the first collaborative effort of Abercrombie with DeJohnette and bassist Dave Holland. A second Gateway recording, Gateway II was released in June 1978. 

In 1979, Abercrombie formed his own quartet which included pianist Richie Beirach, bassist George Mraz and drummer Peter Donald. The group has made three recordings: Arcade, Abercrombie Quartet and M. Abercrombie has also recorded with many other ECM artists; the most significant collaborations must surely be with drummer Jack DeJohnette (Abercrombie appears on all of DeJohnette's Directions and New Directions albums) and with fellow guitarist Ralph Towner. Abercrombie and Towner's Sargasso Sea was released in 1976 and their newest album, Five Years Later, came out in January 1982. 

Abercrombie's touring trio with Marc Johnson and Peter Erskine is heard on Current Events, Getting There (with frequent guest Michael Brecker), and John Abercrombie/Marc Johnson/Peter Erskine. Critic Chuck Berg has described the group as: "solidified ... to the point where its sixth-sense interactions create a singleness of vision associated only with Olympian ensembles such as the trios of pianists Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson". On Current Events, released in 1988, John used guitar synthesizer for the first time on record. John Abercrombie/Marc Johnson/Peter Erskine, released in 1989, was recorded in Boston on April 21, 1988 and documents this innovative trio live. Repertoire from their four-year association is presented, and standards often linked with Bill Evans are given resplendent treatment. John's affinity for jazz standards complements his role as an active clinician and teacher. In listening-preparation for a Harvard lecture, where John surveyed the history of jazz guitar, he explained: "When I'm playing tunes like 'Autumn Leaves' or 'Stella By Starlight', as much as I've played those tunes over the years, I still enjoy playing them. And because I know them so well, I'm very free with them. I'm just as free with them as when I'm playing with no chords at all. That, to me, is free jazz". 

John Abercrombie possesses a unique voice as a jazz guitarist combining evolving technologies with a tradition well-represented by jazz standards. Further insight into music comes forth in a 1988 "Jazziz" interview: "Carrying the tradition of jazz guitar from Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt to the present day is a very important aspect of my music...I'd like people to perceive me as having a direct connection to the history of jazz guitar, while expanding some musical boundaries which may not always involve the guitar itself". 

On the 1990 release Animato John collaborates with composer/synthesist Vince Mendoza and drummer Jon Christensen and presents eight original compositions.  

Selected Discography 

As leader

M
Abercrombie Quartet
Arcade
Characters
Timeless
with others
Ralph Towner/John Abercrombie: Five Years later
Jan Garbarek: Eventyr
Jack DeJonette: New Directions live in Europe
Gateway: Gateway
Towner/Abercrombie: Sargasso Sea
Jack DeJohnette Directions: New Directions; New Rags; Untitled 
Collin Walcott: Grazing Dreams; Cloud Dance