Emerald City (John Abercrombie and Richie Beirach album)

Emerald City
Emerald City
Studio album by John Abercrombie and Richie Beirach
Released	May 1987
Recorded	February 23–25, 1987
Studio	Mediasound, New York City
Genre	Jazz
Length	47:21
Label	Pathfinder Records
Producer	Dave Baker, John Abercrombie, Richie Beirach, Douglas Lichterman
John Abercrombie chronology

Last updated March 06, 2024

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	^[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide	^[3]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz	^[4]

Emerald City is a duet studio album by guitarist John Abercrombie and pianist Richie Beirach.^[5]^[6] The album was released on via Pathfinder Records in 1987 to modest critical success. The album was re-released on CD in 1994 by Evidence label.

Reception

Ron Wynn of AllMusic wrote "Depending on how you choose to define "jazz," this duet session linking pianist Richie Beirach with John Abercrombie (playing guitar synthesizer) may or may not fit your criteria. There are certainly passages with a rock sensibility, and Abercrombie's use of a guitar synthesizer may distress those who instinctively distrust electronics in any improvising context. But if you rank jazz pedigree on skills, individuality, and the willingness to take chances, then this date qualifies on all counts".^[1]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Odin"	Beirach	9:25
2.	"Anse Des Flamands"	Beirach	8:20
3.	"Sleight of Hand"	Abercrombie, Beirach	4:45
4.	"Emerald City"	Beirach	6:05
5.	"On Overgrown Paths"	Beirach	15:00
6.	"Carnival Suspone"	Abercrombie, Beirach	5:40
Total length:			47:21

Personnel

John Abercrombie – guitar, synthesizer, producer
Richie Beirach – piano, producer

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References

1 2 Wynn, Ron. "Emerald City - Richie Beirach | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 December 2019.
↑ Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
↑ Swenson, John (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 1849. ISBN 9780679768739 . Retrieved 13 December 2019.
↑ Larkin, Colin (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-85227-183-1 . Retrieved 13 December 2019.
↑ "Emerald City". Digital Audio's CD Review. WGE Pub. 5 (7–12): 61. 1989. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
↑ Summerfield, Maurice J. (1998). The jazz guitar: its evolution, players and personalities since 1900. Ashley Mark. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-872639-26-0 . Retrieved 13 December 2019.

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[AM-1] 1 2 Wynn, Ron. "Emerald City - Richie Beirach | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 December 2019.

[Penguin-2] Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.

[3] Swenson, John (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 1849. ISBN 9780679768739 . Retrieved 13 December 2019.

[4] Larkin, Colin (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-85227-183-1 . Retrieved 13 December 2019.

[5] "Emerald City". Digital Audio's CD Review. WGE Pub. 5 (7–12): 61. 1989. Retrieved 13 December 2019.

[6] Summerfield, Maurice J. (1998). The jazz guitar: its evolution, players and personalities since 1900. Ashley Mark. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-872639-26-0 . Retrieved 13 December 2019.

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v t e John Abercrombie
Years listed represent year of recording(s), not initial release.
Studio albums	Timeless (1974) Sargasso Sea (with Ralph Towner, 1976) Characters (1977) Arcade (1978) Abercrombie Quartet (1979) Straight Flight (1979) M (1980) Five Years Later (1981) Upon a Time (1982) Solar (with John Scofield, 1983) Night (1984) Current Events (1985) Witchcraft (1986) Emerald City (with Richie Beirach, 1987) Getting There (1987) Animato (1989) Natural Living (with Andy LaVerne, 1989) Nosmo King (with Andy LaVerne, 1991) November (1992) While We're Young (1992) Now It Can Be Played (with Andy LaVerne, 1992) Speak of the Devil (1993) Open Land (1998) Cat 'n' Mouse (2000) Class Trip (2003) Structures (2006) The Third Quartet (2006) Wait Till You See Her (2008) Within a Song (2011) 39 Steps (2013) Up and Coming (2016)
Live albums	John Abercrombie / Marc Johnson / Peter Erskine (1988) Tactics (with Dan Wall and Adam Nussbaum, 1996) The Hudson Project (with Bob Mintzer, Peter Erskine, and John Patitucci, 1998)
Related articles	Stark Reality Dreams Gateway

v t e Richie Beirach
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.
Albums	Eon (1974) Forgotten Fantasies (with Dave Liebman, 1975) Leaving (with Jeremy Steig, 1976) Hubris (1977) Omerta (with Dave Liebman, 1978) Elm (1979) Antarctica (1985) Emerald City (with John Abercrombie, 1987) Common Heart (1987) Richie Beirach at Maybeck (1992)