John Abercrombie

Directed by Arno Oehri and Oliver Primus, Open Land: Meeting John Abercrombie is an intimate portrait of a great guitarist, filmed near the end of his musical journey.

Here we see John Abercrombie gigging with Gary Versace and Adam Nussbaum in Lichtenstein, jamming with Rob Sheps, Eliot Zigmund and David Kingsnorth in New York, teaching music students at Purchase College, talking guitars with NYC luthier Rob McCurdy, and hanging out at home with wife Lisa and Al the cat.

Along the way John reflects, with characteristic good humour, on a creative life lived outside the mainstream and traces his story from his first encounter with an electric guitar onwards. Subtly combining and contrasting images and sound, director Arno Oehri achieves a fine balance between music passages and interviews.

The film's soundtrack includes, in addition to the live performances, selections from many of John Abercrombie's ECM recordings. These include music from the albums Wait Till You See Her, Within A Song, 39 Steps, Current Events, Class Trip and Timeless.