Cascading keyboard notes and flurries of guitar; soon they are dancing through a frenetic dialogue as dextrous as it is energising. Welcome to “Lungs”, the unexpectedly manic opening to Timeless, the entrancing 1975 album by John Abercrombie.

“Lungs” was composed by the keyboard player Jan Hammer, he of Mahavishnu Orchestra fame. In group leader Abercrombie, Hammer found a six-string foil fully as versatile as former colleague John McLaughlin. Add in the hugely talented Jack De Johnette on drums and you have one world class trio.

“Lungs”, the 12 minute opening track, is not simply an exercise in velocity. The high octane opening is followed by a gentle, reflective section that more closely aligns with the spacious ECM aesthetic. A third, sparsely funky section completes a unique opening that stills delights me almost fifty years after first hearing it.

Timeless was my entry point into the magic world of ECM. Purchased from the well-named Euphoria Records in Princes Gate, a long tiled passageway of shops built above Melbourne’s busiest railway station, it was something of a risk. Not because of the music; Euphoria’s beanbags and headphones allowed, even encouraged, thorough trialling of unfamiliar musicks, but because I’d gone there after a period of thrifty abstinence from all unnecessary purchases in order to indulge myself in that rare treat: an full price imported LP. Eschewing fancy coffees for weeks, my aspiration was firmly centred on Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, a record I’d been eyeing off for ages. But at the last minute I balked at the swirling jazz complexity found in those grooves. The progressive keyboard sounds of Jan Hammer were just that little less alien, Abercrombie’s guitar was a more familiar texture, the tight trio unit a tad more accessible; Chick could wait a bit longer.

I was not disappointed. Timeless was, and is, a fabulous album.

After “Lungs” comes a gorgeous solo balled from Abercrombie, the aptly named “Love Song”. This is respectful, gracious love and a simply lovely tune. “Ralph’s Piano Waltz” completes side one with gentle, precisely phrased swing.

Jan Hammer kicks off the second side with his composition “Red And Orange”, a driving, bubbling piece featuring keyboard bass and virtuoso soloing skills. It’s the most Mahavishnu track on the record, with Abercrombie firing up an incandescent solo. 

Abercrombie’s pensive “Remembering” provides another mid-side interlude (De Johnette sits out) before the atmospheric title track completes a mesmerising journey.

Timeless epitomises the ECM mission to expand both jazz and progressive pallets. I loved it immediately and continue to appreciate its skill, elegance, and restrained passion. In fact, I’d be hard pressed to think of a better access point for rock fans wishing to test the intoxicating waters of ECM.

Footnote

Both the albums mentioned above have graced these pages previously. Chick Corea’s Return To Forever in 2016 (here), and Timeless after learning of John Abercrombie’s death in 2017 (here).