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 | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Penguin Guide to Jazz | [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide |  [3] |
Timeless is the debut album by American jazz guitarist John Abercrombie, recorded over two days in June 1974 and released on ECM the following year. The album features a trio with Abercrombie alongside organist Jan Hammer and drummer Jack DeJohnette.[4]
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."[5]
Reception
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow gave the album 4½ stars, calling it, "Thought-provoking and occasionally exciting music that generally defies categorization."[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz gave the album 4 stars, noting, "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."[2]
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."[3]
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
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.