Characters is a solo album by guitarist John Abercrombie, recorded in May 1977 and released on ECM Records in May of the following year.[2]
| Characters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1978[1] | |||
| Recorded | November 1977 | |||
| Studio | Talent Studios Oslo, Norway | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 44:54 | |||
| Label | ECM 1117 | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| John Abercrombie chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz |  [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [5] |
The AllMusic review by Robert Taylor stated: "Abercrombie makes excellent use of space within both his compositions and solos. Upon the first listen there may not appear to be very much here; however, this music needs to be absorbed over several listens to appreciate Abercrombie's brilliance."[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz gave the album 3½ stars, stating, "Characters was Abercrombie's most overt manifesto and calling-card, a demonstration of styles and moods and, even at this point in his career, influences too."[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide called the album "a tremendous solo display of Abercrombie's acoustic/electric guitar and mandolin playing."[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by John Abercrombie
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Parable" | 10:40 |
| 2. | "Memoir" | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Telegram" | 4:35 |
| 4. | "Backward Glance" | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Ghost Dance" | 7:01 |
| 6. | "Paramour" | 3:51 |
| 7. | "After Thoughts" | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Evensong" | 7:35 |
Personnel
edit- John Abercrombie – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric mandolin
References
edit- ^ "Characters". ECM.
- ^ ECM discography Archived 2012-06-14 at the Wayback Machine accessed September 12, 2011
- ^ a b Taylor, R. AllMusic Review accessed September 12, 2011
- ^ a b Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2006) [1992]. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.). London: Penguin. pp. 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.