Timeless (John Abercrombie album)
| Timeless | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1975 | |||
| Recorded | June 21–22, 1974 | |||
| Studio | Generation Sound New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 43:34 | |||
| Label | ECM 1047 ST | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| John Abercrombie chronology | ||||
| ||||
Timeless is the debut album by American jazz guitarist John Abercrombie, recorded over two days in June 1974 and released on ECM Records the following year. The album features a trio with Abercrombie alongside organist Jan Hammer and drummer Jack DeJohnette.[1]
The ECM website praises the album by remarking that "This evergreen stands tall in the ECM forest. There is no sense of competition, only mutual reveling in a distinctly nuclear sound. One could easily call it fusion, but if anything it is fused with itself, for it has created every element it seeks to combine. Timeless indeed."[2]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide |  [5] |
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow called the album "thought-provoking and occasionally exciting music that generally defies categorization."[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz noted, "There's more filigree than flash on the early Timeless and it's left to DeJohnette and the underrated Hammer to give the set the propulsion it calls for... this is a session that has grown in stature with familiarity, an altogether tougher and more resilient label debut than anyone remembers."[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide said, "Hammer especially plays with astounding fire and grace on this session, some of the finest organ playing he's recorded."[5]
Track listing
All tracks are written by John Abercrombie except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lungs" | Jan Hammer | 12:10 |
| 2. | "Love Song" | 4:35 | |
| 3. | "Ralph's Piano Waltz" | 4:55 | |
| 4. | "Red and Orange" | Hammer | 5:24 |
| 5. | "Remembering" | 4:33 | |
| 6. | "Timeless" | 11:57 |
Personnel
- John Abercrombie – guitar
- Jan Hammer – organ, piano, synthesizer
- Jack DeJohnette – drums
References
- ^ "ECM 1047". Ecmrecords.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ Grillo, Tyran (March 22, 2010). "John Abercrombie: Timeless (ECM 1047)". Between Sound and Space: ECM Records and Beyond. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
- ^ a b Scott Yanow. "Timeless - John Abercrombie | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ a b Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2006) [1992]. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-141-02327-4.
- ^ a b Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. US: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 3. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
