On Practicing Guitar

Love and devotion were in the air at the recent “John Abercrombie: Timeless,” tribute at Roulette in Brooklyn. The music was spot on – inspired, beautifully played and non-competitive. In a tribute to a great guitarist, only three guitarists would take the stage. For me, there was reason to be grateful because a friend and his Dad took me. This fortune brought me my first glimpse of both John Scofield and Bill Frisell, plus many other great jazz musicians.

Also on hand were the legends Jack DeJohnette, Randy Brecker, and Peter Erskine, plus Joe Lovano, Billy Hart, and pianist Elaine Elia, who literally had the piano shaking to her groove. There were many others who I had heard of but never experienced either on record or live. For a different take, check out this review or this one.

Bill Frisell wields the cutest mini-Telecaster you are ever likely to see.

We got seats in the balcony, overlooking the stage. In a quirk of the concert’s vibe, the guitarists seemed to be playing straight to us rather than the front rows or orchestra, as you can see from the photo above. The sound was crystal clear and not too loud – just right for jazz.

The purpose of the concert was to pay tribute to a great, and gone musician, and for his friends and collaborators to meet one more time and share their experiences and love for him. But while many in the audience were die-hard fans, knowing every tune, every nuance, the concert also spread the word of John Abercrombie’s great music and inspired me to delve into it more. As I write this, I am listening to a CD (yes! An actual physical CD that I got out of the NYPL!) of Abercrombie and Scofield’s Solar, released in 1984.

I have a copy of this GP issue in my closet. I think it's really funny for many reasons but I have to say, John Abercrombie maintains his cool despite it all. 

One obvious question however remained palpable. With most of the players getting up in years, who will take on the mantel of the great jazz players in the future? Not up and comers, or the latest new wave, but the solid, long time practitioners who are appreciated by a devoted audience and held in esteem by their peers. It will be interesting to see. But for this one night, it was a joy just to still be around. -Christian Botta