Muhal Richard Abrams

Recorded live at the perennially excellent Guelph Jazz Festival in 1998, Vision Towards Essence finds Muhal Richard Abrams playing a solo, three part concert that gives the listener an unfiltered aural view of Mr. Abrams' musical approach. As far as I know, this is only his second solo recording, the first being the now out-of-print Afrisong, which was released in 1975 on the India Navigation label. I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Abrams perform solo here in Chicago in Millennium Park this summer. Unfortunately, I was a bit tired and couldn't give the music the attention it deserves and requires, so this solo recording is a welcome addition to his catalog so I can listen in a proper setting, mentally and physically.

So how can we talk about Mr. Abrams' piano playing in a meaningful manner? Certainly there are any number of past and present piano luminaries we could hear being processed as influence in his music, but personally I don't find that to be a particularly useful exercise  for distilling his musical Essence (Vision Towards). When I think of musicians like Muhal Richard Abrams, or any other musician I would put in the "pantheon" to which he certainly belongs, I really feel that there is indeed an essence that is refracted through their individual prism of musical consciousness. In Mr. Abrams' case, there is an intuitive unfolding and flow of his ideas and syntax that lends itself to a close listening experience of active passivity - a "letting go" so you can let Mr. Abrams "take you there," wherever "there" may be.

Am I being oblique enough? Good. I don't think a blow-by-blow account of this recording is productive, necessary, or even possible. What I can say in terms of specifities: Muhal Richard Abrams is a virtuoso pianist and displays a masterful command of melody, harmony, dynamics, as well as developing incredible arcs and contours that flow together seamlessly. The three "parts of the recording" don't come at defined breaks with applause; this is essentially an hour long piano recital with no pauses, which is what he played when he was in Chicago this summer. He builds a kinetic momentum that has more in common with tidal movements than with any musical analog I can think of.

In conclusion: do I recommend Vision Towards Essence? It depends if you like really good music. If you do, then by all means, make sure to pick it up. If you hate good music, then I would definitely stay away.

If only life were that simple.

The new NYC issue of All About Jazz has an interview with Jimmy Cobb, a spotlight on the Black Saint and Soul Note labels, a nice Ted Panken feature on Muhal Richard Abrams, a piece by Marc Ribot about the Tonic situation, a feature on Alvin Batiste, as well as the usual assortment of reviews and listings. You can download a PDF of it here.

As an aside, Mr. Abrams will be gracing Chicago's Millennium Park stage this summer to play a solo set of piano music, in a double bill with MacArthur grant winner and ragtime revivalist Reginald Robinson. Should be an interesting juxtaposition.

And speaking of Black Saint and Soul Note, All About Jazz has an article up about the label.

If you subscribe to the American Composers Forum podcasts here, you can listen to a recent interview with Susie Ibarra.

I'm going to see Douglas Ewart and Inventions at the Velvet Lounge tonight, also featuring Ed Wilkerson, Mwata Bowden, Dee Alexander and others. Will report back with details and maybe even some pictures if I remember to bring a camera.