Guitarist John Abercrombie, who initially rose to prominence in the mid Seventies, continued to make exceptional music as he grew and explored, eternally honing his six-string approach throughout the decades. The influential jazz-rock guitarist died last August at age 72, just a few months after releasing Up and Coming, which turned out to be his final album.
On March 26, a host of master musicians—including Wilco guitarist Nels Cline—will present John Abercrombie: Timeless—a Tribute to His Life and Music at Roulette in Brooklyn. The talent-packed show also will feature Joey Baron (drums), Randy Brecker (trumpet), Marc Copland (piano), Jack DeJohnette (drums), Eliane Elias (piano), Peter Erskine (drums), Mark Feldman (violin), Bill Frisell (guitar), Drew Gress (double bass), Marc Johnson (double bass), Dave Liebman (saxophones), Joe Lovano (saxophones), Thomas Morgan (double bass), Adam Nussbaum (drums), John Scofield (guitar), Ralph Towner (guitar) and other special guests.
As NPR put it, Abercrombie was “an intrepid and deeply lyrical guitarist who made a formative contribution to jazz-rock before refining a judicious, poetic iteration of post-bop.” Between 1975's Timeless and 2017's Up and Coming came dozens of albums that featured Abercrombie as a leader, co-leader or key sideman; it's an evergreen body of work that confirms his stature as an innovative artist who inspired his colleagues as well as multiple generations of guitarists.
As Cline told Premier Guitar, “It’s so hard to imagine our collective musical life without him.”
John Abercrombie: Timeless—a Tribute to His Life and Music is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. March 26 at Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave./3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Tickets are available now.
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