Sargasso Sea (John Abercrombie and Ralph Towner album)

Sargasso Sea
Studio album by John Abercrombie & Ralph Towner
Released	1976
Recorded	May 1976
Studio	Talent Oslo, Norway
Genre	Jazz
Length	41:08
Label	ECM 1080 ST
Producer	Manfred Eicher
John Abercrombie chronology
Gateway (1976) Sargasso Sea (1976) Characters (1978)
Ralph Towner chronology
Solstice (1975) Sargasso Sea (1976) Sound and Shadows (1977)

Sargasso Sea is an album by American jazz guitarists John Abercrombie and Ralph Towner, recorded in May 1976 and released on ECM Records later that year. ^[1]

Reception

Professional ratings

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

The AllMusic review by Michael G. Nastos stated, "An uneven recording for many listeners and critics, Sargasso Sea deserves a second chance, not as an absolutely flawed, imperfect, or unbalanced effort. Like a tale of two cities, it stands as a unique project, perhaps deserving a more refined approach." ^[2]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz called it "a winsome, diffident affair on which only the timbral variation of Towner's 12-string and piano figures sustains interest... it's less than representative of Abercrombie's real strengths." ^[3]

The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide said, "The alternately pensive and vibrant electric/acoustic interplay between these two master guitarists makes this a classic album of guitar duets." ^[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Abercrombie except where noted.

Side I

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Fable"		8:41
2.	"Avenue"		5:19
3.	"Sargasso Sea"	John Abercrombie Ralph Towner	4:01
4.	"Over and Gone"		2:51

Side II

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Elbow Room"	Abercrombie Towner	5:11
2.	"Staircase"	Towner	6:24
3.	"Romantic Descension"		3:17
4.	"Parasol"	Towner	5:24

Personnel

• John Abercrombie – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
• Ralph Towner – twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano

References

1. ECM discography accessed September 7, 2011
2. Nastos, M. G. Allmusic Review accessed September 6, 2011
3. Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2006) [1992]. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings . The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.). London: Penguin. p.  2. ISBN   978-0-141-02327-4.
4. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. US: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 3. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.