Upon a Time

1989 studio album by John Abercrombie

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
| Getting There
(1988)  | Upon a Time
(1989)  | John Abercrombie / Marc Johnson / Peter Erskine
(1989)

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|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic| [1]

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

The first ten tracks, featuring Abercrombie and Marsh, were originally released as the album Drum Strum on 1750 Arch Records; the remaining tracks with Marsh and Graves were taken from Marshland on the same label.[2][3]

## Reception

[edit]

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."[4]

## Track listing

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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

[edit]

* John Abercrombie – electric guitar, mandolin, mando-guitar, piano (tracks 1-10)
* Mel Graves – double bass, bass guitar (tracks 11-16)
* George Marsh – drums, percussion, thumb piano

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "John Abercrombie: Upon a Time". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
2. ^ Upon A Time. New Albion Records. 1989.
3. ^ "About". Mutable Music.
4. ^ "John Abercrombie: Upon a Time". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.

* v
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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

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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