Jazz guitar great John Abercrombie dies aged 72: guitarists pay tribute

(Image credit: Mephisto/REX/Shutterstock)

American jazz guitarist John Abercrombie has died aged 72, according to a statement posted on his Facebook page.

Abercrombie was a student of the renowned Berklee College of Music, a longtime recording artist for the renowned ECM label, and one of fusion’s foremost innovators, establishing himself as a pioneer of the guitar synth in the ’80s.

Guitarists took to social media to pay tribute to the loss of the jazz guitar great; we’ve shared a selection below.

I had the privilege to take a lesson from the great John Abercrombie in NYC back when I was 18. "Timeless" still blows me away. RIP JohnAugust 24, 2017

Just as there'd be no EVH or Satch (as we know them) without Allan Holdsworth: no Metheny, Scofield & many more without #JohnAbercrombie RIP pic.twitter.com/3PFssG0zcBAugust 23, 2017

John Abercrombie - rest in peace. Your influence on me as both guitarist and as composer is deep and vast, like your wondrous legacy.August 23, 2017

You will be missed https://t.co/SvL1SglGP4August 23, 2017

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