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Tuesday Morning Jazz - Interview with Muhal Richard Abrams
On February 21, 2017, during Tuesday Morning Jazz, Chuck Obuchowski will be featuring recordings by Muhal (pronounced Moo-hall) Richard Abrams, whose quintet is performing at Wesleyan University's Crowell Concert Hall this Friday night.
Chuck's pre-recorded interview with Abrams will air at 10 a.m. The pianist, at age 86, is still composing, painting, and performing in a wide variety of settings: from duets with other improvisers to big bands & string ensembles.
Abrams has mentored countless instrumentalists since 1965, when he co-founded the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), a non-profit co-op based in Chicago. The pianist moved to New York City in 1975 and founded an AACM chapter there in 1983.
Abrams worked extensively in hard bop bands as a young man, then gradually became associated with the avant garde movement of the 1960s. However, throughout his career, he's played in many jazz styles - as well as related genres - from the blues, to R&B, to rock. He's also explored electronic music and the western classical tradition.
Muhal Richard Abrams has never had a hit record, but he is held in the highest regard by fellow musicians. His many honors include the prestigious NEA Jazz Master Award, which he received in 2010. Yet, as WWUH listeners will hear, Abrams is not the least bit egotistical - reminds one of a Buddhist priest: calm, gentle, forthright. Capable of conveying profound concepts in simple, everyday terms.