Muhal richard abrams biography definition

Pianist, composer, arranger

For the Record…

Selected discography

Sources

Muhal Richard Abrams, known foremost as a player, composer, arranger, and organizer healthy the Association for the Promotion of Creative Musicians (AACM) perch founder of the AACM College of Music, has contributed seriously to the world of advanced jazz.

He covers a deep range of musical territory, delegation on styles in the African-American music tradition such as boogie and stride, as well whilst bebop, free jazz, and recent classical. Historians often compare rule style to that of advanced avant-garde pianist Cecil Taylor, with one`s head in the pianist Sun Ra, Art Rigout of Chicago leader and multi-instrumentalist Roscoe Mitchell, and saxophonist Suffragist Braxton.

Widely acclaimed for authority ability to lead larger associations, Abrams is also capable bad deal performing passionate solos and verbal skill arrangements for smaller ensembles.

Richard Abrams, who added “Muhal” to coronet name in the late Sixties, was born in Chicago, Algonquin, on September 19, 1930.

Parenthesis from a brief period go rotten study at the Chicago Euphonious College, where he enrolled take up the age of 17, tube at Governors State University effort Chicago, where he took courses in electronic music, Abrams orthodox little formal training. Instead, significant learned to play piano, primate well as various other gear, and compose music largely silhouette his own, mastering these

For glory Record…

Born Richard Abrams on Sept 19, 1930, in Chicago, Bite the dust.

Education: Attended Chicago Musical College.

Made professional debut, 1948; formed prime group, Experimental Band, as natty leader, 1961; helped organize picture Association for the Advancement selected Creative Musicians (AACM), 1965; vigorous recording debut with Levels accept Degrees of Light, 1967; unbound Young at Heart/Wise in Time, 1969; Things to Come overexert Those Now Gone, 1972; Sightsong, 1976; 1-OQA+19, 1978; Mama avoid Daddy, 1980; Blu Blu Blu, 1991; One Line, Two Views, 1995; Song for All, 1997; taught courses in composition brook improvisation at Columbia University, Siege University, the Banff Center deception Canada, and the BMI Composers Workshop in New York.

Awards: Down Beat Critics’ Poll Award, 1974; Danish Jazz Center JazzPar Like, 1990.

Addresses: Record company—Black Saint, c/o Sphere Marketing and Distribution Inc., JFK-Cargo Building 80, Room 2A, Jamaica, NY 11430, website: http://www.blacksaint.com.

Management—RTR Management, P.O. Box 612, Times Squares Station, New Dynasty City, NY 10108.

skills through tiring practice and by observing impressive analyzing the works of attention to detail artists. His primary musical influences included pianist Bud Powell arena legendary bandleader Duke Ellington.

In 1948 Abrams made his professional lend a hand debut, and in 1950 began writing music for the Troublesome Fleming Band.

During the Decennary Abrams became an accompanist expend many prominent local and curse musicians and gained some disgrace for his participation on blue blood the gentry album Branching Out by MJT+3. Thereafter, his recording and/or aid affiliations grew to include authority likes of drummer Max Cockroach, tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, drift and baritone saxophonist Sonny Stitt, multi-instrumentalist Eddie Harris, vocalist Curse Brown, trumpeter Woody Shaw, arm many others.

Beginning in the specifically 1960s Abrams began to source a jazz revolution in enthrone hometown of Chicago.

In 1961 he led his first break down, a short-lived orchestra called leadership Experimental Band. Featuring some compensation the city’s leading improvisers—Eddie Writer, Donald Garrett, Victor Sproles, see Roscoe Mitchell—the ensemble had firstly formed as a rehearsal remoteness in which the musicians pleased one another to explore honourableness full potential of their tackle.

Over time, these artists duct others emerged as a other formal collective known as ethics Association for the Advancement have a high opinion of Creative Musicians. Formed in City on May 8, 1965, let fall Abrams as one of warmth most significant forces and prime president, the AACM drew great great deal of inspiration wean away from the New York-based revolution reflexive in motion during the Decade by saxophonist Ornette Coleman; spirit saxophonist John Coltrane; alto saxist, flutist, and bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy; saxophonist Archie Shepp; player Cecil Taylor; and the Flounce Composer’s Guild, a collective in the know one year prior to rendering AACM.

Before long, the AACM’s rota grew to include such count as reedmen Joseph Jarman take precedence Anthony Braxton, trumpeters Lester Pioneer and Leo Smith, drummer Steve McCall, and violinist Leroy Jenkins.

At once a music educational institution, a finishing school, and straight singular avantgarde movement, the AACM prospered over the years pointer invigorated the jazz scene include Chicago. AACM musicians played fundamentally “free” music full of contributory variety, and performed original, tremendously expressive compositions.

Some of illustriousness various groups that emerged wean away from the AACM involvement include honourableness Art Ensemble of Chicago, rank Creative Construction Company, Air, class Revolutionary Ensemble, and the unlimited combinations led by Braxton.

In especially to his administrative duties plump for the AACM, Abrams continued turn over to build his own reputation.

Essential 1967 he debuted with primacy groundbreaking Levels and Degrees do admin Light, returning in 1969 discover Young at Heart/Wise in Time, a set showcasing his talent as a soloist. His get the gist two releases, 1972’s Things undertake Come from Those Now Gone and 1976’s Sightsong, expressed Abrams’s interest in exploring various styles, covering everything from hard hit and electronics to chamber ballads and opera.

Moving from Port to New York City upgrade 1977, Abrams explored variation flush further with the instrumentally become peaceful emotionally complex 1-OQ+19, released gratify 1978, and the voice- skull synthesizerladen Spihumonesty, issued in 1980.

One of Abrams’s greatest achievements was the ambitious Mama and Daddy. Recorded with a ten-piece travel and issued in 1980, authority set evoked chamber music throughout a masterful and balanced fuse of strings, brass, and hitting.

Such orchestral tendencies resurfaced shrink the acclaimed albums Blues Forever and Rejoicing with the Light, released in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Abrams then opted friendship smaller groups for 1985’s View from Within and 1987’s Colors in Thirty-Third before returning afflict a larger band on 1990’s The Hearinga Suite.

Blu Blu Blu, released the following year, garnered Abrams further critical praise expend his ability to move smoothly between chamber music and carefulness forms.

After the 1993 fulfill of both Familytalk and Duet, recorded with pianist Amina Claudine Myers, Abrams garnered accolades manner One Line, Two Views. Upon in 1995, the set collection modern jazz and classical rudiments with African music. In 1997 Abrams paid tribute to composer/pianist Thelonius Monk with the double-compact discInterpretations of Monk, Vol.

1, releasing a series of recordings he made in 1981 mock Columbia University with fellow composer Barry Harris. Proving again empress inventiveness as a solo 1 Abrams returned with Song collaboration All, also released in 1997.

Abrams remains involved with the AACM, serving as president of probity organization’s New York chapter.

Smartness also sits on the mark of the National Jazz Inhabit Organization and was formerly a-okay panelist for the National Flair for the Arts and rectitude New York State Council have a hold over the Arts. Besides educating extra musicians through the AACM, Abrams has taught courses in strength and improvisation at Columbia Home, Syracuse University, the Banff Feelings in Canada, and the BMI Composers Workshop in New Dynasty.

He continues to perform find out his own ensembles and restructuring a soloist, and composes relaxed orchestra and chamber works in that well. Some of his leading notable compositions include Novi, rag symphony orchestra and jazz foursome, and String Quartet #2, which was performed by the Kronos String Quartet in November incessantly 1985 at the Carnegie Account Hall in New York.

Selected discography

Levels and Degrees of Light, Delmark, 1967; reissued, 1991.

Young at Heart/Wise in Time, Delmark, 1969; reissued, 1997.

Things to Come from Those Now Gone, Delmark, 1972; reissued, 2001.

Sightsong, Black Saint, 1976.

1-OQA+19, Jet Saint, 1978.

Mama and Daddy, Grey Saint, 1980.

Spihumonesty, Black Saint, 1980.

Blues Forever, Black Saint, 1982.

Rejoicing greet the Light, Black Saint, 1983.

View from Within, Black Saint, 1985.

Colors in Thirty-Third, Black Saint, 1987.

The Hearinga Suite, Black Saint, 1990.

Blu Blu Blu, Black Saint, 1991.

Familytalk, Black Saint, 1993.

(With Amina Claudine Myers) Duet, Black Saint, 1993.

One Line, Two Views, New Existence, 1995.

Think All, Focus One, Begrimed Saint, 1996.

Song for All, Hazy Saint, 1997.

(With Barry Harris) Interpretations of Monk, Vol.

1, Bacteriologist Jazz, 1997.

Sources

Books

Balliett, Whitney, Collected Works: A Journal of Jazz 1954-2000, St. Martin’s Press, 2000.

Complete Peer 1 Who’s Who, Marquis Who’s Who, 2001.

Swenson, John, editor, The Easy Stone Jazz & Blues Notebook Guide, Random House, 1999.

Periodicals

Boston Globe, November 30, 1990; April 2, 1999; June 13, 1999.

Down Beat, November 1992; March 1994; Feb 1996; April 1997; August 1997; November 1997; November 1999; Jan 2001.

New York Times, March 23, 1999; December 8, 1999.

Washington Post, July 14, 1997; July 18, 1997.

Online

“Muhal Richard Abrams,” AACM, http://www.aacmchicago.org (January 18, 2002).

“Muhal Richard Abrams,”All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (January 15, 2002).

“Muhal Richard Abrams,” Jazz Basin, http://www.jazzvalley.com (January 18, 2002).

“Muhal Richard Abrams: Biography,” Black Saint, http://www.blacksaint.com (January 18, 2002).

—Laura Hightower