Wednesday, August 23, 2017

John Abercrombie -- rest in peace

By now the word of John's death has made it out to various forums and many people are rightfully mourning the loss of a great guitarist. Much is written, and you can find a decent obit in Jazz Times. There's little I can add other than to note that his playing had a distinct quality, and like many jazz players, his commitment to music made complete artistic but rarely financial sense. To my ears, he was a uniquely free player, moving in ways that were hard to predict but eminently satisfying to hear.  Tonight I am spinning Sargasso Sea, his beautiful, deeply captivating LP with Ralph Towner, and am moved again by the power of this music.  The lifeforce is dimmed a little tonight. Thank you for the music, John.

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