DVD Review: John Abercrombie & Greg Osby – Solos The Jazz Sessions

Jazz – often seen as “music without walls”. This DVD is no exception.

If you like your music to think “outside of the box” , look no further than the John Abercrombie & Greg Osby Solos DVD.

The John Abercrombie and Greg Osby Solos DVD runs in a similar vein to the additional Solos Series, providing intimate musical renditions and interviews with leading musical artists.

Jazz guitar legend John Abercrombie and saxophonist Greg Osby provide four, very free-form, jazz instrumental renditions. Free-form is the phrase to use here. They’re so much “out of the box” they’re almost back it in again. That isn’t meant to be a detrimental comment by any means, more so highlighting my lack of appreciation of free-flowing, free-formed jazz.

Between each improvisation, there’s an interview with the musicians, providing insight into their thoughts and feelings as a performing artist.

The bonus feature is a nice touch, focussing on solo interviews and performances as opposed to the collaborative effort presented in the main DVD. From a guitarist perspective, it’s nice to hear John Abercrombie comment on his Brian Moore Guitar, and his quest for tone.

This is an interesting DVD, aimed at fans of Abercrombie/Osby and free-form jazz. If you’re not a fan of any of those elements, you may want to look elsewhere. It certainly left me with a lasting impression and appreciation of their musical gifts and talents.