Muhal Richard Abrams
Encyclopedia
Muhal Richard Abrams is an American
educator, administrator, composer
, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist
in the Free jazz
medium. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.
in Chicago
. By 1946, he decided to enroll in music classes at Roosevelt University
. “I didn’t get too much out of that, because it wasn’t what I was hearing in the street,” he says. “I decided to study on my own. I don’t know why, but I’ve always had a natural ability to study and analyze things. I used that ability, not even knowing what it was (it was just a feeling) and started to read books." The books of Joseph Schillinger
were very influential in Abrams' development. "From there, I acquired a small spinet piano and started to teach myself how to play the instrument and read the notes - or, first of all, what key the music was in. It took time and a lot of sweat. But I analyzed it and before long I was playing with the musicians on the scene. I listened to Art Tatum
, Charlie Parker
, Thelonious Monk
, Bud Powell
and many others and concentrated on Duke
and Fletcher Henderson
for composition. Later I got scores and studied more extensive things that take place in classical composition and started to practice classical pieces on the piano, as I do now.”
Abrams' first gigs were playing the blues, R&B, and hard bop circuit in Chicago and working as a sideman with everyone from Dexter Gordon
and Max Roach
to Ruth Brown
and Woody Shaw
. In 1950 he began writing arrangements for the King Fleming
Band, and in 1955 played in the hard-bop band Modern Jazz Two + Three, with tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris
. After this group folded he kept a low profile until he organized the Experimental Band in 1962, a contrast to his earlier hard bop venture in its use of free jazz concepts. This band, with its fluctuating lineup, evolved into the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
(AACM), emerging in May 1965 with Abrams as its president. Rather than playing in smoky night clubs, AACM members often rented out theatres and lofts where they could perform for attentive and open-minded audiences. The album Levels and Degrees of Light
(1967) was the landmark first recording under Abrams' leadership. On this set, Abrams is joined by the saxophonists Anthony Braxton
, Maurice McIntyre, vibraphonist Gordon Emmanuel, violinist Leroy Jenkins, bassist Leonard Jones and vocalist Penelope Taylor.
Abrams also played with saxophonists Eddie Harris
, Dexter Gordon
, and other more bop-oriented musicians during this era.
Abrams moved to New York
permanently in 1975 where he was a factor in the local Loft Jazz
scene. In 1983, he established the New York chapter of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
.
In the 1970s, Abrams has composed for symphony orchestras, string quartets, solo piano, voice, and big bands in addition to making a series of larger ensemble recordings that include harp and accordion. He is a widely influential artist, having played sides for many musicians early in his career, releasing important recordings as a leader, and writing classical works such as his "String Quartet #2" which was performed by the Kronos Quartet
, on November 22, 1985, at the Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City
. He has recorded extensively under his own name (frequently on the Black Saint
label) and as a sideman on others' records. Notably regarding the latter he has recorded with Anthony Braxton
Duets 1976 on Arista Records
, Marion Brown
and Chico Freeman
.
He has recorded and toured the United States
, Canada
and Europe
with his orchestra, sextet, quartet, duo and as a solo pianist. His musical affiliations is a "who's who" of the jazz world, including Max Roach
, Dexter Gordon
, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Art Farmer
, Sonny Stitt
, Anthony Braxton
, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Eddie Harris
and many others. In 1990 Abrams won the Jazzpar Prize
an annual Danish prize within jazz. In 1997 he was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award. In May 2009 the National Endowment for the Arts announced that Abrams would be one of the recipients of the 2010 NEA Jazz Masters
Award. In June 2010, Muhal Richard Abrams was be honored the Lifetime Achievement Award by New York City's premier jazz festival, known as the Vision Festival
MJT+3
With Roscoe Mitchell
With Joseph Jarman
With Anthony Braxton
With Creative Construction Company
With Kenny Dorham
With Eddie Harris
With Art Ensemble of Chicago
With Marion Brown
With Robin Kenyatta
With Chico Freeman
With Woody Shaw
With Leroy Jenkins
With George Lewis
With Barry Altschul
With Clifford Jordan
With Marty Ehrlich
With Hamiet Bluiett
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator, administrator, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist
Jazz piano
Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instrument's combined melodic and harmonic capabilities...
in the Free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
medium. Abrams compresses both contemporary and traditional ideas into lean, elegant pieces.
Biography
Abrams attended DuSable High SchoolDuSable High School
DuSable High School was a public high school in Chicago opened in the Bronzeville neighborhood in 1934. It was named after Chicago's first permanent non-native settler, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. DuSable was built to accommodate the growing Phillips High School in the 1930s. The campus was...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. By 1946, he decided to enroll in music classes at Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
. “I didn’t get too much out of that, because it wasn’t what I was hearing in the street,” he says. “I decided to study on my own. I don’t know why, but I’ve always had a natural ability to study and analyze things. I used that ability, not even knowing what it was (it was just a feeling) and started to read books." The books of Joseph Schillinger
Joseph Schillinger
Joseph Schillinger was a composer, music theorist, and composition teacher. He was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine and died in New York City.-Life and career:...
were very influential in Abrams' development. "From there, I acquired a small spinet piano and started to teach myself how to play the instrument and read the notes - or, first of all, what key the music was in. It took time and a lot of sweat. But I analyzed it and before long I was playing with the musicians on the scene. I listened to Art Tatum
Art Tatum
Arthur "Art" Tatum, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso who played with phenomenal facility despite being nearly blind.Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time...
, Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
, Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
, Bud Powell
Bud Powell
Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American Jazz pianist. Powell has been described as one of "the two most significant pianists of the style of modern jazz that came to be known as bop", the other being his friend and contemporary Thelonious Monk...
and many others and concentrated on Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
and Fletcher Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. His was one of the most prolific black orchestras and his influence was vast...
for composition. Later I got scores and studied more extensive things that take place in classical composition and started to practice classical pieces on the piano, as I do now.”
Abrams' first gigs were playing the blues, R&B, and hard bop circuit in Chicago and working as a sideman with everyone from Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
and Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
to Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown was an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, composer and actress, noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and " He Treats Your Daughter Mean".For these...
and Woody Shaw
Woody Shaw
Woody Shaw was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer and band leader, often referred to as the "last innovator" in the jazz trumpet lineage...
. In 1950 he began writing arrangements for the King Fleming
King Fleming
Walter "King" Fleming is an American jazz pianist and bandleader.A classmate of Sonny Cohn, after playing trombone in the McKinley High School band, Fleming went on to study at the Midwest College of Music. He had already led several informal bands before King Fleming and His Swing Band first...
Band, and in 1955 played in the hard-bop band Modern Jazz Two + Three, with tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ...
. After this group folded he kept a low profile until he organized the Experimental Band in 1962, a contrast to his earlier hard bop venture in its use of free jazz concepts. This band, with its fluctuating lineup, evolved into the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians is a non-profit organization, founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States, by pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran....
(AACM), emerging in May 1965 with Abrams as its president. Rather than playing in smoky night clubs, AACM members often rented out theatres and lofts where they could perform for attentive and open-minded audiences. The album Levels and Degrees of Light
Levels and Degrees of Light
Levels and Degrees of Light is the debut album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Delmark label in 1968 and features performances of three of Abrams' compositions by Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Charles Clark, Gordon Emmanuel, Maurice McIntyre, Thurman Barker and Leonard...
(1967) was the landmark first recording under Abrams' leadership. On this set, Abrams is joined by the saxophonists Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...
, Maurice McIntyre, vibraphonist Gordon Emmanuel, violinist Leroy Jenkins, bassist Leonard Jones and vocalist Penelope Taylor.
Abrams also played with saxophonists Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ...
, Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
, and other more bop-oriented musicians during this era.
Abrams moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
permanently in 1975 where he was a factor in the local Loft Jazz
Loft jazz
The Loft jazz scene was a cultural phenomenon that occurred in New York City during the mid-1970s, at venues such as Environ, Ali's Alley, and Studio Rivbea, all in former industrial loft spaces in NYC's SOHO district...
scene. In 1983, he established the New York chapter of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians is a non-profit organization, founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States, by pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran....
.
In the 1970s, Abrams has composed for symphony orchestras, string quartets, solo piano, voice, and big bands in addition to making a series of larger ensemble recordings that include harp and accordion. He is a widely influential artist, having played sides for many musicians early in his career, releasing important recordings as a leader, and writing classical works such as his "String Quartet #2" which was performed by the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, on November 22, 1985, at the Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He has recorded extensively under his own name (frequently on the Black Saint
Black Saint/Soul Note
Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian jazz independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz.-History:...
label) and as a sideman on others' records. Notably regarding the latter he has recorded with Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...
Duets 1976 on Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
, Marion Brown
Marion Brown
Marion Brown was a jazz alto saxophonist and ethnomusicologist. He is most well known as a member of the 1960s avant-garde jazz scene in New York City, playing alongside musicians such as John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, and John Tchicai...
and Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman...
.
He has recorded and toured the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with his orchestra, sextet, quartet, duo and as a solo pianist. His musical affiliations is a "who's who" of the jazz world, including Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
, Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Art Farmer
Art Farmer
Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...
, Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
, Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...
, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ...
and many others. In 1990 Abrams won the Jazzpar Prize
Jazzpar Prize
The Jazzpar Prize was an annual Danish prize within jazz founded by Arnvid Meyer. The winner was chosen from five nominees, among internationally recognized performers of jazz. The award used to be 200,000 Danish crowns and a bronze statue by Jørgen Haugen Sørensen...
an annual Danish prize within jazz. In 1997 he was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award. In May 2009 the National Endowment for the Arts announced that Abrams would be one of the recipients of the 2010 NEA Jazz Masters
NEA Jazz Masters
The National Endowment for the Arts , every year honors up to seven jazz musicians with Jazz Master Awards. The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowships are the highest honors that the United States bestows upon jazz musicians...
Award. In June 2010, Muhal Richard Abrams was be honored the Lifetime Achievement Award by New York City's premier jazz festival, known as the Vision Festival
Vision Festival
The Vision Festival is the world's premier festival of experimental music , art, film and dance. Inspired by the 1984 and '88 Sound Unity Festivals. It was a direct out growth of the Improvisors Collective 1994 and '95. In 1996, Dancer-choreographer Patricia Nicholson Parker, initiated the First...
As leader
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Levels and Degrees of Light Levels and Degrees of Light Levels and Degrees of Light is the debut album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Delmark label in 1968 and features performances of three of Abrams' compositions by Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Charles Clark, Gordon Emmanuel, Maurice McIntyre, Thurman Barker and Leonard... |
Delmark |
| 1969 | Young at Heart/Wise in Time Young at Heart/Wise in Time Young at Heart/Wise in Time is the second album led by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Delmark label in 1974 and features Abrams a solo piano composition and accompanied by Leo Smith, Henry Threadgill, Lester Lashley and Thurman Baker... |
Delmark |
| 1975 | Things to Come from Those Now Gone Things to Come from Those Now Gone Things to Come from Those Now Gone is the third album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Delmark label in 1975 and features performances of seven of Abrams' compositions by Abrams with varying line-ups that include Wallace McMillan, Edwin Daugherty, Richard Brown, Emanuel Cranshaw,... |
Delmark |
| 1975 | Afrisong Afrisong Afrisong is a solo piano album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on India Navigation and the Japanese Trio/Whynot label and features seven performances by Abrams recorded in Chicago in September 1975. The Allmusic review states "Muhal Richard Abrams seamlessy blended elements of stride,... |
India Navigation India Navigation India Navigation was an American independent record label that was active from the 1970s to the early 1990s. Founded by corporate lawyer Bob Cummins, the label specialized in jazz music, particularly avant-garde jazz.-Discography:... /Whynot Records Whynot Records -Discography:... |
| 1976 | Sightsong Sightsong Sightsong is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams and Malachi Favors which was released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1976. The Allmusic review by Brian Olewnick calls the album "one of Abrams's finest recordings and is also perhaps the best showcase for Malachi Favors' talents outside of his... |
Black Saint |
| 1977 | 1-OQA+19 1-OQA+19 -Personnel:*Muhal Richard Abrams: piano, synthesizer, voice*Henry Threadgill: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, voice*Anthony Braxton: soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, flute, clarinet, voice*Leonard Jones: bass, voice... |
Black Saint |
| 1978 | Lifea Blinec Lifea Blinec Lifea Blinec is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Arista Novus label in 1978 and features performances by Abrams, Joseph Jarman, Douglas Ewart, Amina Claudine Myers and Thurman Barker. The Allmusic review states "Muhal Richard Abrams headed one of his finest small combos on... |
Novus Novus Records Novus Records Novus Records Novus Records (later Arista Novus and RCA Novus was a United States jazz and contemporary jazz record label. It was an Arista Records imprint focused on then-contemporary jazz artists... |
| 1978 | Spiral Live at Montreux 1978 Spiral Live at Montreux 1978 Spiral Live at Montreux 1978 is a live album by Muhal Richard Abrams recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival and released on the Arista Novus label in 1978... |
Novus |
| 1979 | Spihumonesty Spihumonesty Spihumonesty is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1979 and features performances by Abrams, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell, Amina Claudine Myers, Youseff Yancy and Leonard Jones with vocals by Jay Clayton.-Track listing:# "Triverse" - 6:01#... |
Black Saint |
| 1980 | Mama and Daddy Mama and Daddy Mama and Daddy is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1980 and features performances of four of Abrams' compositions by a big band. The Allmusic review calls the album "a first-rate big band/large group session from 1980, with Muhal Richard... |
Black Saint |
| 1981 | Duet Duet (Muhal Richard Abrams album) Duet is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams featuring duet performances with Amina Claudine Myers which was released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1981... with Amina Claudine Myers Amina Claudine Myers Amina Claudine Myers in Blackwell, Arkansas; is an American jazz pianist, organist, vocalist, composer, and musical arranger.-Biography:... |
Black Saint |
| 1982 | Blues Forever Blues Forever Blues Forever is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1982 and featuring performances of seven of Abrams compositions by an eleven member big band.-Reception:... |
Black Saint |
| 1983 | Rejoicing with the Light Rejoicing with the Light Rejoicing with the Light is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1983 and featuring performances of five of Abrams' compositions by a fourteen member orchestra. The Allmusic review by Ron Wynn states "He led the orchestra through pieces that were sometimes... |
Black Saint |
| 1985 | View from Within View from Within View from Within is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1985 and featuring performances of six of Abrams' compositions by an octet... |
Black Saint |
| 1986 | Roots of Blue Roots of Blue Roots of Blue is an album of duests by Muhal Richard Abrams and Cecil McBee released on the RPR label in 1986. The Allmusic review by Brian Olewnick states "Abrams' tendency toward light, single-note runs seems to require more of a weighty counterbalance than McBee offers... with Cecil McBee Cecil McBee Cecil McBee is an American post bop jazz bassist, described by the Guinness Who's Who of Jazz as "a full-toned bassist who creates rich, singing phrases in a wide range of contemporary jazz contexts." Allmusic called him "One of post-bop's most advanced and versatile bassists".-Biography:McBee... |
RPR |
| 1987 | Colors in Thirty-Third Colors in Thirty-Third Colors in Thirty-Third is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1987 and featuring performances of seven of Abrams' compositions by Abrams, John Blake, John Purcell, Dave Holland, Fred Hopkins and Andrew Cyrille.... |
Black Saint |
| 1989 | The Hearinga Suite The Hearinga Suite The Hearinga Suite is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1989 and features performances of seven of Abrams compositions by an eighteen member orchestra. Abrams dedicated the music on the album to Steve McCall and Raphael Donald Garrett... |
Black Saint |
| 1991 | Blu Blu Blu Blu Blu Blu Blu Blu Blu is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1991 and features performances of eight of Abrams compositions by a big band. Abrams dedicated the title track on the album to Muddy Waters. The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow calls the album "One of... |
Black Saint |
| 1993 | Family Talk Family Talk Family Talk is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1993 and features performances of six of Abrams compositions by Abrams, Jack Walrath, Patience Higgins, Brad Jones, Warren Smith and Reggie Nicholson.-Reception:... |
Black Saint |
| 1995 | Think All, Focus One Think All, Focus One Think All, Focus One is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1995 and features performances of seven of Abrams' compositions by Abrams, Eddie Allen, David Gilmore, Eugene Ghee, Alfred Patterson, Brad Jones, and Reggie Nicholson... |
Black Sain |
| 1997 | Song for All Song for All Song for All is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1997 and features performances of eight of Abrams' compositions by Abrams, Eddie Allen, Craig Harris, Eugene Ghee, Alfred Patterson, Brad Jones, and Reggie Nicholson... |
Black Saint |
| 1996 | One Line, Two Views One Line, Two Views One Line, Two Views is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams which was released on the New World label in 1995 and features performances of seven of Abrams' compositions by Abrams, Eddie Allen, Patience Higgins, Marty Ehrlich, Bryan Carrott, Mark Feldman, Tony Cedras, Anne LeBaron, Lindsey Horner, and... |
New World |
| 1997 | The Open Air Meeting The Open Air Meeting The Open Air Meeting is a live album by Muhal Richard Abrams and Marty Ehrlich which was released on the New World label in 1997 and features duet performances by Abrams and Erlich recorded in August 1996 at the Brooklyn Museum. The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow states "The two musicians listen... (Live) with Marty Ehrlich Marty Ehrlich Marty Ehrlich is a multi-instrumentalist and is considered one of the leading figures in experimental or avant-garde jazz.... |
New World |
| 2001 | The Visibility of Thought The Visibility of Thought The Visibility of Thought is an album of contemporary classical compositions by Muhal Richard Abrams performed by various ensembles which was released on the Mutable Music label in 2001. The album features performances by Abrams, Jon Deak, Joseph Kubera, Mark Feldman, Thomas Buckner, the ETHEL... |
Mutable Music |
| 2005 | Streaming Streaming (album) Streaming is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis and Roscoe Mitchell released on the Pi label in 2006. The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow states that "Decades have passed since the debut of these three musicians, yet they have lost nothing of their musical curiosity and desire to take... with George Lewis George Lewis (trombonist) George E. Lewis is a trombone player, composer, and scholar in the fields of jazz and experimental music. He has been a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians since 1971, and is a pioneer of computer music.- Biography :Lewis graduated from Yale University with a... |
Pi |
| 2007 | Vision Towards Essence Vision Towards Essence Vision Towards Essence is a live album of solo piano by Muhal Richard Abrams released on the Pi label in 2007.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4.5 stars stating "This is indeed one of the most important records ever released by this great man".-Track listing:# "Part 1"... (Live) |
Pi |
| 2010 | Spectrum with Roscoe Mitchell Roscoe Mitchell Roscoe Mitchell is an African American composer, jazz instrumentalist and educator, mostly known for being "a technically superb—if idiosyncratic—saxophonist." He has been called "one of the key figures" in avant-garde jazz who has been "at the forefront of modern music" for the past... |
Mutable Music |
As sideman
With Walter PerkinsWalter Perkins
Walter "Baby Sweets" Perkins was an American jazz drummer.Starting out as a fixture in the Chicago jazz scene, Perkins' first major gigs were with Ahmad Jamal in 1956-57...
MJT+3
- Daddy-O Presents MJT+3 (1957)
With Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell is an African American composer, jazz instrumentalist and educator, mostly known for being "a technically superb—if idiosyncratic—saxophonist." He has been called "one of the key figures" in avant-garde jazz who has been "at the forefront of modern music" for the past...
- NonaahNonaahNonaah is a double album recorded in 1976-77 by Roscoe Mitchell. It was originally released on the Nessa label in 1977 and features solo, duo, trio and quartet performances by Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, Malachi Favors Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis, Henry Threadgill, Joseph Jarman, and Wallace...
(1967) - Roscoe Mitchell Quartet (1975)
- Duets and Solos (1990)
With Joseph Jarman
Joseph Jarman
Joseph Jarman , is a jazz musician, composer and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He is perhaps best known as one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Early life:Jarman grew up in Chicago, Illinois...
- As If It Were the Seasons (1968)
With Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...
- Three Compositions of New JazzThree Compositions of New Jazz-Track listing:*These first two tracks are graphically titled. This is an attempt to translate the title.*Recorded at Sound Studios, Chicago, IL on March 27 and April 10 , 1968-Personnel:...
(1968) - Duets 1976 (1976)
- Quintet (Basel) 1977 (2001)
With Creative Construction Company
Creative Construction Company
The Creative Construction Company was an American jazz ensemble active briefly in the early 1970s.The ensemble recorded two albums for Muse Records and was composed of six noted improvisationalists: Wadada Leo Smith, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Muhal Richard Abrams, Richard Davis, and Steve...
- Creative Construction Company (Muse RecordsMuse RecordsMuse Records was an American record label which released jazz and blues music.Muse was founded in the early 1970s by Joe Fields, who had previously worked as an executive for Prestige Records in the 1960s...
, 1970) - CCC, Vol. 2 (Muse, 1971)
- Muhal (1977)
With Kenny Dorham
Kenny Dorham
McKinley Howard Dorham was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer born in Fairfield, Texas. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention from the jazz establishment that many of his peers did...
- Kenny Dorham Sextet (1970)
With Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ...
- Instant Death (1972)
- Eddie Harris Sings the Blues (1972)
- Excursions (1973)
With Art Ensemble of Chicago
Art Ensemble of Chicago
The Art Ensemble of Chicago is an avant-garde jazz ensemble that grew out of Chicago's AACM in the late 1960s. The group continues to tour and record through 2006, despite the deaths of two of the founding members....
- Fanfare for the WarriorsFanfare for the WarriorsFanfare for the Warriors is a 1973 album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago first released on the Atlantic label. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut and Don Moye along with AACM leader Muhal Richard Abrams.-Reception:The Allmusic review by...
(1974) - KabalabaKabalabaKabalaba is a live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1974 and released on their AECO label in 1978...
(1978)
With Marion Brown
Marion Brown
Marion Brown was a jazz alto saxophonist and ethnomusicologist. He is most well known as a member of the 1960s avant-garde jazz scene in New York City, playing alongside musicians such as John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, and John Tchicai...
- Sweet Earth Flying (1974)
- Vista (1975)
With Robin Kenyatta
Robin Kenyatta
Robin Kenyatta was an American jazz alto saxophonist.-Career:Born Robert Prince Haynes in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, United States, Kenyatta grew up in New York. He played with Bill Dixon there in the 1960s, playing with his project "The October Revolution in Jazz"...
- Beggars and Stealers (1977)
With Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman...
- Morning PrayerMorning Prayer (album)Morning Prayer is a 1978 album by Chico Freeman, released on India Navigation and the Japanese Whynot Records.-Tracklisting:#"Like the Kind of Peace It is"#"The In Between"#"Conversations"#"Morning Prayer"#"Pepe's Samba"#"Pepe's Samba"...
(1976) - ChicoChico (album)Chico is a post-bop jazz lp by Chico Freeman on India Navigation Records IN 1031 -on which Chico switches between tenor saxophone, bass clarinet and flute during long, explorative tracks....
(1977) - Freeman & Freeman (1981)
With Woody Shaw
Woody Shaw
Woody Shaw was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer and band leader, often referred to as the "last innovator" in the jazz trumpet lineage...
- The Iron Men (1977)
With Leroy Jenkins
- Lifelong AmbitionsLifelong AmbitionsLifelong Ambitions is a live album by American jazz violinist Leroy Jenkins recorded in 1977 for the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Ron Wynn awarded the album 4½ stars stating "Leroy Jenkins, free jazz's greatest violinist, has always worked best in intimate situations...
(Black Saint, 1977)
With George Lewis
George Lewis (trombonist)
George E. Lewis is a trombone player, composer, and scholar in the fields of jazz and experimental music. He has been a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians since 1971, and is a pioneer of computer music.- Biography :Lewis graduated from Yale University with a...
- Shadowgraph 5 (Sextet) (1977)
With Barry Altschul
Barry Altschul
Barry Altschul is a free jazz drummer who gained fame in the late 1960s with the pianists Paul Bley and Chick Corea.-Biography:...
- You Can't Name Your Own Tune (1977)
With Clifford Jordan
Clifford Jordan
Clifford Laconia Jordan was a jazz saxophone player. While in Chicago, he performed with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some rhythm and blues groups. He moved to New York City in 1957, after which he recorded three albums for Blue Note. He also recorded with Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, Kenny...
- Inward Fire (1978)
With Marty Ehrlich
Marty Ehrlich
Marty Ehrlich is a multi-instrumentalist and is considered one of the leading figures in experimental or avant-garde jazz....
- Emergency Peace (1990)
With Hamiet Bluiett
Hamiet Bluiett
Hamiet Bluiett is an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. His primary instrument is the baritone saxophone, and he is considered one of the finest living players of this instrument...
- Saying Something for All (1998)