John Abercrombie

John Abercrombie's fluid guitar style reflected the permeable boundaries of jazz, rock, and funk, without sounding watered down. Abercrombie cut his teeth in Johnny "Hammond" Smith's group in the mid-'60s, and toward the end of the decade played alongside Randy and Michael Brecker in the group Dreams. But it was his role in Billy Cobham's fusion group Spectrum that brought Abercrombie to international attention. In the mid-'70s, he formed his highly regarded trio Timeless, pursuing a softer, more delicate style of fusion. He produced some highly regarded duet work with Ralph Towner, and was involved in the all-star big band that recorded Charles Mingus' epic work "Epitaph." Abercrombie enjoyed a creative and prolific period extending well into the new millennium. He died at age 72 in August 2017.