Characters (John Abercrombie album)

Characters is a solo album by guitarist John Abercrombie that was recorded in 1977 and released by ECM in 1978.[1]

Characters
Studio album by John Abercrombie
Released	1978
Recorded	November 1977
Studio	Talent Studios, Oslo, Norway
Genre	Jazz
Length	44:54
Label	ECM
Producer	Manfred Eicher
John Abercrombie chronology
Sargasso Sea (1976) Characters (1978) Arcade (1979)

Reception

The Allmusic review by Robert Taylor gave the album 4 stars, stating, "Abercrombie makes excellent use of space within both his compositions and solos. Upon the first listen there may not appear to be very much here; however, this music needs to be absorbed over several listens to appreciate Abercrombie's brilliance."[2] The Penguin Guide to Jazz gave the album 3½ stars, stating, "Characters was Abercrombie's most overt manifesto and calling-card, a demonstration of styles and moods and, even at this point in his career, influences too."[3] The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide said, "a tremendous solo display of Abercrombie's acoustic/electric guitar and mandolin playing".[4]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Penguin Guide to Jazz	[3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Abercrombie.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Parable"	10:40
2.	"Memoir"	3:13
3.	"Telegram"	4:35
4.	"Backward Glance"	4:37
5.	"Ghost Dance"	7:01
6.	"Paramour"	3:51
7.	"After Thoughts"	3:22
8.	"Evensong"	7:35

Personnel

• John Abercrombie – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric mandolin

References

1. ECM discography Archived 2012-06-14 at the Wayback Machine accessed September 12, 2011
2. Taylor, R. Allmusic Review accessed September 12, 2011
3. Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2006) [1992]. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.). London: Penguin. pp. 2. ISBN 978-0-141-02327-4.
4. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. US: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 3. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.