John Abercrombie Ralph Towner
Sargasso Sea

Undoubtedly, the collaboration between J. Abercrombie and R. Towner is the one that has most deeply adhered to the typical sounds of ECM (a label from Munich). Despite the fact that the two guitarists, Abercrombie (electric and acoustic guitars) and Towner (12-string and classical guitars, piano), differ both in training and artistic choices, they succeeded on this occasion in uniting their strengths, while respecting a synergy between electric and acoustic sounds. Therefore, the musical encounter between the two perfectly represents the artistic fusion between classical and electric culture.

"Sargasso Sea," recorded in May '76, seals a sincere and thoroughly inspired musical meeting. Eight wonderful tracks for a total of about forty-one minutes. The artistic result is at times more thoughtful and at others more nervous. A work endowed with a rare formal elegance and refined melodic patterns (achieved also thanks to overdubbing) and with excellent recording quality. The entire album is endowed with that subtle reverb that surrounds the compositions and which is nonetheless a characteristic trademark of ECM. The jazz dialogue of one blends excellently with the "cultured" and "popular" compositions of the other.

The beginning with "Fable" is rather delicate, with Towner almost caressing the instrument and Abercrombie seeming to almost make the guitar "sing." "Avenue" with meditative and relaxing tones and sounds. The title track "Sargasso Sea" is a piece with subtle and almost imperceptible sounds. "Over And Gone" is romantic and thoughtful. The rather determined and electric start of "Elbow Room", a nervous piece with particularly strong acoustic and electric sounds. Abercrombie’s guitar in this piece is extremely original and convincing. "Staircase" endowed with a more "swinging" rhythm is enigmatic and mocking. The refined artistic work in "Romantic Descension" is also very valid. The album concludes with the melancholic "Parasol" with the two guitars perfectly "dialoguing" with each other. In this piece appears a small, wonderful, and unforgettable solo piano by Towner.

Abercrombie and Towner would come together again in 1981 with Five Years Later to resume and complete an artful discourse that had happily begun. My evaluation of the cover is indispensable, which in this case is simple and essential but slightly microscopic (score 2.5 recurring out of 5). In conclusion, an album made 32 years ago but still enjoyable today and which therefore will not disappoint all fans of this musical genre.