Characters (John Abercrombie album)

Characters is a solo album by guitarist John Abercrombie, recorded in May 1977 and released on ECM Records in May of the following year.^[2]

Characters
Studio album by John Abercrombie
Released	May 1978[1]
Recorded	November 1977
Studio	Talent Studios Oslo, Norway
Genre	Jazz
Length	44:54
Label	ECM 1117
Producer	Manfred Eicher
John Abercrombie chronology
Sargasso Sea (1976) Characters (1978) Arcade (1979)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[5]

The AllMusic review by Robert Taylor stated: "Abercrombie makes excellent use of space within both his compositions and solos. Upon the first listen there may not appear to be very much here; however, this music needs to be absorbed over several listens to appreciate Abercrombie's brilliance."^[3]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz gave the album 3½ stars, stating, "Characters was Abercrombie's most overt manifesto and calling-card, a demonstration of styles and moods and, even at this point in his career, influences too."^[4]

The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide called the album "a tremendous solo display of Abercrombie's acoustic/electric guitar and mandolin playing."^[5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Abercrombie.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Parable"	10:40
2.	"Memoir"	3:13
3.	"Telegram"	4:35
4.	"Backward Glance"	4:37
5.	"Ghost Dance"	7:01
6.	"Paramour"	3:51
7.	"After Thoughts"	3:22
8.	"Evensong"	7:35

Personnel

• John Abercrombie – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric mandolin