TIMELESS

I've been enjoying guitarist extraordinaire John Abercrombie's "Gateway" album for years now, so to finally get my hands on his debut has been nothing short of outstanding. "Gateway" was John's second album and featured Jack DeJohnette (drums) and Dave Holland (bass) while "Timeless" also featured a trio with DeJohnette, but instead of Holland we get Jan Hammer on a variety of keyboards. So yes there's a different feel to this one when compared to "Gateway" but both are incredible.

Up first is the over 12 minute "Lungs" which is a real trip. At first everything is very uptempo with Hammer and DeJohnette leading the way then Abercrombie comes in with some fast paced soloing. This continues for almost 3 1/2 minutes then it calms right down to a whisper. Things stay laid back as different sounds come and go right to the end. Such a cool track. "Love Song" as you might imagine is a mellow track with the tasteful guitar and piano standing out. "Ralph's Piano Waltz" opens with jazzy drumming from DeJohnette as guitar and keyboards help out in this tasteful composition. Hammer comes in around 2 1/2 minutes on his Hammond to spice things up the rest of the way.

"Red And Orange" sounds great early on with the guitar, organ and drums setting a brisk pace. Hammer is so impressive here, but then they all are. Abercrombie comes and goes ripping it up. "Remembering" is a ballad-like instrumental. "Timeless" ends things on a high. At almost 12 minutes this beast starts off in an atmospheric manner, almost spacey really. Guitar sounds rise out of the mist. This is really good. The atmosphere fades out after 4 minutes as gentle guitar notes continue soon to be joined by intricate drumming and keyboards. This is all so laid back and beautiful. My favourite track on the album right here.

A very solid 4 stars and a must have along with "Gateway" for all you Jazz / Fusion fans out there.