Timeless LP - ECM - ECM 1047

John Abercrombie's first outing as a leader was not something you just put on quietly in the background and forgot about, it alternately grabbed you by the throat or hypnotised you. Joined here by the ever versatile Jack DeJohnette on drums and keyboard whiz Jan Hammer (taking a VERY rare turn on Hammond organ as well as piano and Mini Moog. Such a shame he didn't play organ more, he sounded GREAT on it!), JA blasts off with his own unique take on fusion, emphasizing the jazz end of the equation more than some of his contemporaries at the time.1. Lungs - Gets off to a fiery start with call-and-response phrases at times reminiscent of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, it then starts to wind down to a mysterious and spooky mid-section (conjuring up images of a fog shrouded night in the woods) before ending on an unexpected funk jam to a fade out.2. Love Song - Hammer and Abercrombie go for forlorn musical hues in this guitar/piano duet.3. Ralph's Piano Waltz - Not forgettig his more traditional jazz roots, JA cooks up a piece that seems to evoke Miles Davis in it's memorable melody line, and featuring a SMOKING Hammond solo by Hammer.4. Red And Orange - Baring the fangs this time with a Jan Hammer tune that rocks out yet retains the looseness of jazz. Great intense melody line too.5. Remembering - A dissonant, angular piano/guitar duet that builds tension and pulls you along in its spell6. Timeless - As another reviewer pointed out, it was amazing how JA could take a very simple phrase with chordal drones and turn it into something very mysterious and open, I couldn't agree more, definitely the most hypnotic track on the disc and a great closer.

"Timeless" released in 1975 is considered to be John Abercrombie's masterpiece, while there are some great songs on this album, I don't think I agree with these reviewer's high praise of this album. I think the important thing is to look at this album as jazz fusion album something which Abercrombie has gotten away from since this album was released. It's definitive for the time and that's all it is a representation of jazz in the mid-70s. This album also suffers from Mahavishnu Orchestra type fusion tunes like the opening song "Lungs" and "Red And Orange." I was never really a big fan of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, so this really doesn't help the album in my opinion.I guess you're wondering by now, why am I giving an album that I've talked bad about 4-stars? Here's the reason: the improvisations, the interplay, the musicians, and three songs "Ralph's Piano Waltz," "Love song," "Timeless" and "Remembering." This is what saves this album for me from the dark fusion abyss. Jan Hammer and Jack DeJohnette provide excellent support to Abercrombie, who's still searching for his style.Now, as dated as this album is, it's still a fine introduction to John Abercrombie's music and it serves as a piece of jazz guitar history. Abercrombie has come along way since 1974 and if you want to hear him play fusion music, then you should check this album out.

I don't know if these tracks were remastered for the cd, but the whole album sounds absolutely fabulous. This album is certainly one of the highpoints of John Abercrombie's career. The trio with Jan Hammer and Jack DeJonette is just plain brilliant (such a pleasure to hear Hammer on organ on this session - makes me wish he had done more organ recordings!). A very nice and varied selection of Abercrombie's tunes, along with Hammer's "Lungs" and "Red And Orange". A sparkling set of 70's jazz, scoop this one up while it's available!!!

"Timeless" is a very good album featuring the U.S. Jazz Guitarist. On it, he teams up with Jan Hammer (organ, synthesizer, piano) and Jack De Johnette (drums). There are only six pieces on this album, all instrumental. The best track is undoubtedly the haunting title track which closes the album, which forms a nice set of book-ends for the album with the opening piece "Lungs". Each of them is about 12 minutes long, and together are over half the album. In addition, I think "Red And Orange" is a very good track. The other three pieces are not as strong, but each of them has its moments, and none of them are bad.

I have owned "Timeless" on vinyl for many years and remastered it myself to digital at one point. Unfortunately, my homemade digital copy got lost in a drive crash. Rather than invest many hours in a vinyl remaster, I decided to purchase the commercial version and I'm not disappointed. I'm a critical listener and find this CD-quality version perfectly enjoyable. Some day, I'll remaster the vinyl again in 24 bit/192KHz resolution. Until then, I can still enjoy the grinding organ bass and frenetic guitar in "Red and Orange." Tigerdog sez: listen up!

4.5 stars. A classic jazz fusion album. All three players shine on the album and the tracks are all worthwhile. Jan hammer is definitely more subdued than on other albums during this same time period (great playing but people probably couldn't guess it was him on some of the tracks). Timeless track is superb. I love the simplicity of the melody, chords and playing on that tune.

The CD disc came intact. The music and recording quality are up to ECM's high standards. The plastic hinged CD case was broken and useless. Poor packaging by AMAZON.

This album is for anyone wanting to take an adventure in something different and unusual.

Music and pressing of the record are top quality. Great package.

ok !!!

I don't know about you, but I'm getting really frustrated with brand new releases of 180g vinyl that distort or otherwise are noisy with surface noise and pops. I use an ultrasonic cleaner to remove any remnants of the production process but I was disappointed with the sound quality of this pressing. At more than $30 CAD, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a flawless copy when new.The music is still riveting after all these years. All three players were on fire for these sessions and there is a nice mix of fiery numbers and more introspective ones. One of Abercrombie's best. RIP.

Jazzig, wild roh ungestühm, anders aber nicht ohne Plan. "Lungs" ist aus heutiger Sicht auch noch beeindruckend. Ob der Geschwindigkeit am Schlagzeug oder des Mutes zu solchen Wagnissen wegen.Das Zusammenspiel von Gitarre und Tasten ist ein Ohrenschmaus. Nach drei Minuten wird der Track ersteinmal wieder sehr frei und losgelöst von erkenntlichen Strukturen. Doch nach weiteren drei Minuten ertönt aus der Soundcollage ein klares Moogbassriff und ein schwerer Groove begeleitet ein sehr offenes Gitarrensolo. Ein cooler Track. Diese Dreiteilung ist sehr konstruktiv und bildet einen Charaktervollen Track mit aussreichend Greifbarem für ungeübte Hörer."Love Song" bietet eine schönes Duett von Klavier und Akkustikgitarre. Abercrombie und Jan Hammer spielen ein verträumtes Thema sehr frei und jazzig, treffen sich aber immer mal wieder auf sehr geschmackvolle Weise. Träumerisch und melodisch."Ralph's Piano Waltz" unterliegt sehr zügiger Jazzrhythmik und unterscheidet sich vom klassischen Jazzsong am Beginn eigentlich garnicht. Erst nach einiger Zeit kommt eine ambientartige Basslinie dazu, wobei der Song diese nur nutzt um in ein weiteres, leicht andersgeartetes Jazzthema für kurze Zeit abzudriften."Red and Orange" jazzt ebenfalls wahnsinnig flott daher, intergriert aber immer wieder ein charakteristisches Moogbassriff. Die flinken Hände der Beteiligten sind wieder sehr beeindruckend."Remembering" wird zunächst von einem weiteren Duett zwischen Piano und Gitarre getragen. Die Struktur ist der von "Love Song" nicht unähnlich, wobei hier die Dynamik ein Stück weit höher angesiedelt ist. Wie ein Fluss aus seichtem Bächlein bis hin zu Stromschnellen musizieren sich die beiden durch die viereinhalb Minuten.Mit dem Titelsong spannt Abercrombie den akustischen Rahmen um das Album. Interessant, dass der Opener und der Rausschmeisser jeweils 12 Minuten dauern, der auf dem Album befindliche Nachbarsong ein Duett von viereinhalb Minuten ist und in der Mitte noch zwei frickelige Jazzstücke kommen. Hier haben wir eine deutliche Sanduhrform in der Tracklist verborgen."Timeless" baut gerade am Anfang auf eine sehr klanglandschaftliche und ruhige Atmosphäre mit ein wenig Gitarre und etwas zaghaften Drums, die sich aber immer mehr auf einen komplexen Rhythmus hinbewegen. Eine angedeutete Moogbasslinie im Hintergrund mischt sich immer mal wieder ins Geschehen. Der Song senkt die Dynamik wieder und das erwartete Finale Furioso bleibt aus. Abercrombie träumt sich bis zum Schluss durch die zwölf Minuten. Ein sehr schöner Track.Gerade wegen der besprochenen Sanduhrform ist das Album eine sehr runde, in sich geschlossene Sache. Vergleicht man mit anderen Fusionalben dieser Zeit, so empfinde ich dieses als sehr Musikorientiert und angenehm. Schöne, wenn auch späte Entdeckung.

Buona incisione