Upon a Time

Upon a Time
Upon a Time
Studio album by John Abercrombie
Released	1989
Recorded	1982
Studio	Arch Studios, Berkeley, California
Genre	Jazz
Length	1:09:11
Label	New Albion
Producer	John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]

Upon a Time is a studio album by American jazz guitarist John Abercrombie with drummer George Marsh and bassist Mel Graves. The album was recorded in California in 1982 and released by New Albion Records in 1989.

Reception

A reviewer of Allmusic awarded the album two stars out of five, stating "John Abercrombie's 1989 release Upon a Time is, as the subtitle points out, an album of duets, mostly with bassist Mel Graves and drummer George Marsh. While bass and drum solos are often the punchlines of musical jokes, Graves and Marsh are skilled players with enough good taste to keep the flashiness to an interesting minimum. As for guitarist Abercrombie, his playing is typically brilliant, whether picking out the traditional melody of 'My Scottish Heart' or moving into a more impressionistic sonic arena in tracks like 'In the Woods' or 'Chuck Man Rivers.' Earthier and more expressly jazz-based than many releases on the ECM-affiliated New Albion label, Upon a Time is a satisfying, richly rewarding album."^[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Abercrombie and George Marsh except where noted

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"My Scottish Heart"		5:30
2.	"Muchacha Dorada"		5:37
3.	"Upon a Time"	Abercrombie	3:10
4.	"In the Woods"	Marsh	6:10
5.	"Demi-Saison"	Abercrombie	3:38
6.	"Baby Lucille"		5:56
7.	"Vincent"		8:23
8.	"Count"		2:53
9.	"Chuck Man Rivers"		2:39
10.	"Camel Walk"	Abercrombie	4:21
11.	"Play It Again"	Marsh	2:50
12.	"Moonfire"	Graves	2:30
13.	"Gypsy Wand Song"	Graves	5:56
14.	"McNabb the Crabb"	Graves	2:19
15.	"Chelsea Bridge"	Billy Strayhorn	5:48
16.	"Lullaby of the Leaves"	Bernice Petkere, Joe Young	2:34
Total length:			01:09:11

Personnel

John Abercrombie – electric guitar, mandolin, mando-guitar, piano
Mel Graves – double bass, bass guitar
George Marsh – drums, percussion, thumb piano

References

^ "John Abercrombie: Upon a Time". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
^ "John Abercrombie: Upon a Time". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 14 March 2018.

[1] "John Abercrombie: Upon a Time". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 14 March 2018.

[2] "John Abercrombie: Upon a Time". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 14 March 2018.

[1]

[2]

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