Jazz Abstractions

Jazz Abstractions (subtitled John Lewis Presents Contemporary Music: Compositions by Gunther Schuller and Jim Hall) is a third stream album combining elements of jazz and classical music recorded in late 1960 for the Atlantic label.

Reception

Allmusic awarded the album 4 stars stating: "One of the most successful third stream efforts ...This is very interesting music".

Track listing

All compositions by Gunther Schuller except as indicated

1. "Abstraction" - 4:06
2. "Piece for Guitar & Strings" (Jim Hall) - 6:22
3. "Variants on a Theme of John Lewis (Django)" - 10:15
4. "Variant I" - 5:27
5. "Variant II" - 1:38
6. "Variant III" - 3:10
7. "Variants on a Theme of Thelonious Monk (Criss-Cross)" - 15:23
8. "Variant I" - 6:22
9. "Variant II" - 1:49
10. "Variant III" - 4:12
11. "Variant IV" - 3:00

Personnel

• Gunther Schuller - arranger, conductor
• Jim Hall - guitar
• Ornette Coleman - alto saxophone (tracks 1 & 4)
• Eric Dolphy - alto saxophone, bass clarinet, flute (tracks 3 & 4)
• Robert DiDomenica - flute (tracks 3 & 4)
• Bill Evans - piano (tracks 3 & 4)
• Eddie Costa - vibraphone (tracks 3 & 4)
• Charles Libove, Roland Vamos - violin
• Alfred Brown (track 2), Harry Zaratzian - viola
• Joseph Tekula - cello
• Alvin Brehm (track 1), George Duvivier (tracks 3 & 4), Scott LaFaro - bass
• Sticks Evans - drums (tracks 1, 3 & 4)
• John Jagel - cover painting
• John Jagel & Robert Slutzky - cover design (credited as Jagel & Slutzky Graphics)

References