John Abercrombie and John Scofield - 1984 [1996] Solar ''the bebop album''

Solar is a studio album by jazz guitarists John Abercrombie and John Scofield. It was initially released in 1984 by Palo Alto Records and reissued in 2001 by West Wind.

Guitarists John Abercrombie and John Scofield join forces for these early-'80s sessions, mostly duets while occasionally adding bassist George Mraz and drummer Peter Donald. They delve into the jazz canon with an intricate duet of "Solar," a driving, Latin-fused take of "Four on Six" (in which Abercrombie overdubs an electric mandolin), and a dreamy duo interpretation of "If You Could See Me Now." The sole standard, "I Should Care," fares just as well in their hands, which settles into a relaxed exchange between the two players as if they are playing for themselves alone. Scofield's "Small Wonder" is scored for the quartet, a bristling post-bop vehicle with a feature for Mraz as well. Abercrombie's introspective "Sing Song" best contrasts the styles of the two leaders, with the composer a bit more melodic and Scofield with a more brittle attack. This is an enjoyable CD that has stood the test of time very well.

I'm a huge Abercrombie fan and this album is one of my favorites. Scofield and Abercrombie dig down deep into some jazzy blues lines that make these two guitar players undeniably some of the most creative to ever play the guitar. Abercrombie is magical as always and Scofield is young, bold, and worthy to share the light with this jazz god. I feel like Abercrombie is passing the torch on to another generation. The album [Timeless] materialized the jazz-rock-fusion era by crossing boundaries and steering music into new directions (an unbeatable accomplishment.) This has been handed off to Scofield who has ever since been attempting to move jazz onto a new canvas.

Abercrombie was second only to McLaughlin among the guitarists of this epoch, to my taste; Scofield was not far behind. Both men had it over the great J Mac in that they played better with others. And this is a great interaction, not "two stars that can't play together", to quote Jelly Roll Morton. Figments of Pat Metheny are floating around here, and the harmonies are the harmonies we remember from Jarrett, ECM and the other masters of this period. I won't deny that there's a certain power of nostalgia at work here, but it's like a wine that never ages into superannuation.

A beautiful as the record was (original date was 1984, so I'm not sure whether it was issued on vinyl or CD - I have a cassette), it might have been stronger if all tracks had been dual electric, with no bass + drums. No criticism of those supporting musicians; just that my memory is a of a downright magical guitar duo.

This duo works as well together as Herb Ellis & Joe Pass, with the same amount of skill and taste. Definitely great listening at home, relaxing after a long day at work. The mood is subdued yet warm and enveloping. This makes me wish that they had worked together for more than just this one disc.

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Track listing:

1.    "Solar"    Miles Davis    4:10
2.    "Even Steven"    Abercrombie    6:51
3.    "Four on Six"    Wes Montgomery    6:25
4.    "Sing Song"    Abercrombie    6:22
5.    "Small Wonder"    John Scofield    6:21
6.    "I Should Care"    Sammy Cahn, Axel Stordahl, Paul Weston    6:39
7.    "If You Could See Me Now"    Tadd Dameron, Carl Sigman    6:02
Total length:    42:35

Personnel:

    John Abercrombie – guitar, electric mandolin, co-producer
    John Scofield – guitar, co-producer
    George Mraz – bass
    Peter Donald – drums