Timeless: John Abercrombie Tribute Concert

In celebration of guitar virtuoso John Abercrombie, the Guitar Department at Berklee College of Music pays tribute to his life, music, and memories with friends and longtime collaborators.

Produced by faculty member Rick Peckham, the concert will feature visiting artists Joey Baron (drums) and Lage Lund (guitar), with Berklee Global Jazz Institute faculty Joe Lovano (tenor saxophone) and Ben Street (bass). Also featured will be guitar department faculty Larry Baione, Jeffrey Lockhart, Bruce Saunders, and Tim Miller; alumni Karl Marino and Francois Chanvallon; and select students. Brief remarks will be presented by guitar professor Mick Goodrick.

Abercrombie came to prominence in the mid-1970s, forging a path followed by guitarists John Scofield, Bill Frisell, Goodrick, and Pat Metheny. A recording artist with the ECM label for 40 years, his seminal recordings were among the first to blend rock, folk, and world music with jazz. He worked with a wide range of collaborators, including frequent work with Jack DeJohnette, Ralph Towner, Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler, and Marc Copland.

Metheny described Abercrombie, who passed away in 2017, as “a guitarist who excels at everything he does. Besides being constantly engaging as a soloist, he is one of the best accompanists in jazz.”