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Interviews
John Abercrombie: Extending the Tradition
John Kelman
With the realization that there will always be more music coming at him than he can keep up with, John wonders why anyone would think that jazz is dead or dying.Whether in the context of his own groups, in collaboration with long-standing musical friends, or forging new relationships, John Abercrombie maintains a simple goal for himself. "Just trying to get it better," Abercrombie says. "I think that I play quite differently than I did back, say, in '76, but the concepts, or the idea of just trying to be a better guitarist, be a better musician, being able to play over changes, the kinds of things that a lot of musicians work on, that's what I work on daily. I work on more traditional things; a lot of things that get recorded may not sound that way, but if you could hear me practicing, I'd sound to you like a jazz player. I don't practice trying to play abstractly; a lot of that stuff just sort of happens through my associations with different musicians. I guess it's in there somewhere anyway, but my general bent is to try and be a good jazz guitarist."
And that's as simple and honest a goal as one can have. To be better; to work in the jazz tradition while still finding ways to expand it; to find ways of free expression within the context of form, development and movement; and to surround oneself with like minded musicians with whom the best sense of trust and freedom can be cultivated. With a still-growing discography that demonstrates a clear evolution without losing sight of what came before, John Abercrombie's career has been all about reverence and forward-thinking.
Visit John Abercrombie and ECM Records on the web.
Selected ECM Discography:
Class Trip (2004)
:rarum XIV: Selected Recordings (2004)
Cat 'n' Mouse (2002)
Lift Every Voice [with Charles Lloyd] (2002)
Open Land (1999)
Tactics (1997)
Homecoming [with Gateway] (1995)
While We're Young (1993)
November (1993)
The Widow in the Window [with Kenny Wheeler] (1990)
Animato (1990)
Eventyr [with Jan Garbarek] (1981)
In Europe [with Jack DeJohnette's New Directions] (1980)
Arcade (1979)
Deer Wan [with Kenny Wheeler] (1978)
Characters (1978)
Grazing Dreams [with Collin Walcott] (1977)
Sargasso Sea [with Ralph Towner] (1976)
The Pilgrim and the Stars [with Enrico Rava] (1975)
Gateway [with Gateway] (1975)
Timeless (1975)
Photo Credit
All photos by Claudio Casanova except Kenny Wheeler and "At the Montreux Jazz Festival."
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John Abercrombie Related
| Date | Venue | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Jun20 |
Havana Nights Jazz and Cigar Club
Virginia Beach, VA |
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| Jun21 |
Havana Nights Jazz and Cigar Club
Virginia Beach, VA |
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| Jun22 |
Havana Nights Jazz and Cigar Club
Virginia Beach, VA |
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| Jul26 |
Trumpets Jazz Club
Montclair, NJ |
buy |
| Jul27 |
Deer Head Inn
Delaware Water Gap, PA |
buy |
| Jul31 |
The Falcon
Marlboro, NY |
buy |
