It’s almost impossible to imagine what the free jazz movement would have been like without the guiding hands of pianist/composer Muhal Abrams, who started the still active AACM which has been the breeding ground for such innovators as the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Anthony Braxton and Henry Threadgill. Bridging the wide gap between mainstream jazz, free jazz and classical, Abrams’ influence has been as far reaching, as it has been underappreciated. Turning 80 this year, Mr. Abrams is still active, having just recorded music with his long-time associate Roscoe Mitchell, called () on ().
Abrams recalls the early days of the burgeoning movement, and his long time friendship with Mitchell. “We first met in 1963 or 64. We were busy composing and performing music in Chicago. I met Roscoe when he came and joined my experimental band. I just invited all the younger people that wanted to join. Roscoe was one of the people who responded.”
“We started the band because we wanted to play more original type compositions, our own music that we composed. When I was just starting there were several people. Joseph Jarman was also there. What first impressed me about Roscoe was his originality. In everything. We’ve been playing together a lot through the years. “
While widely known as a proponent of the avant-garde, Abrams’ early musical career was founded on hard bop and R&B, served Chicago style, as he reminds, “My experience was in mainstream band prior to the experimental band. I started there, with many people in Chicago; some of the people like Von Freeman and Johnny Griffin.”
Abrams’ musical education started with his own inquisitive mind, setting the stage for his later explorations, “I’m mainly self-taught at the piano. I just progressed to a point where I felt that I needed to open up more. I listened to all kind of people growing up; Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker. Classical people after a fashion. All kinds of stuff. Music was all around on the radio. There was all kinds of music. Classical, jazz, bluegrass, country and western from the Grand Ol Opry. And of course the blues from Chicago.”
“I played with Ruth Brown with her when she would come with Chicago. Same with Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt. I toured with Max Roach. I was about 26 then, around 57 and 58. In Chicago, you’re not hard to find if you’re in the music scene all the time. It’s just a community of musicians. Wherever there’s musical activity, you’re there. There would be venues where we’d congregate. Like Joe Segal’s Showcase. We populated his place for years. He’d bring people in, and they’d need a rhythm section. So, Joe would enlist us to play with him.”
While achieving and reaching a certain technical fluidity, Abrams then, and now, maintains that he never pondered whether he had “made it” in the music scene by being called to tour with such stars, as he points out They call you because you’re qualified to play with them. You don’t think about if you’ve “made it” or not. It’s a given that you’ve developed to a point where people ask you to do certain things. You never feel that you’ve “arrived.” You’re always studying and practicing music. “
It’s Abrams’ dedication to learning that initiated his involvement with free jazz, and it is still his impetus today, as he explains, “Music is a vast universe. Our world houses a lot of styles and approaches to music. I wanted to expand into the world of sound. My approach was to develop a forum where I could develop and Perform my original approach to sound, which turns into music when you finally organize it. Then, you have to attract people that are of a like mind. Like Roscoe and Joseph, and others that came later. They were of a like mind. They wanted to compose, too.”
It is this inquisitiveness that started his exploration into classical music, as he recalls, “When I felt the need to musically expand, it included classical also. I taught myself how to respect that world. For orchestras and any size ensemble as well as jazz, or the in-between are as where you stretch forms.”
Abrams saw his exploration into the world of classical music as another way to appreciate the diverse sounds that God’s creation has to offer. “It’s not what I learn from classical to apply to jazz. I’m observing the world, and how things are done. Music itself has a world of raw material; you just need to learn how to use it. You look at other approaches to learn and observe how people organize music, but it may or may not determine how you organize your music. But, you respect the variety of ways to organize it, and you then go back and develop your own approach because you know that you CAN develop your own style and approach by observing someone else. “
With the friends and associates he’s made through the AACM, Abrams has been able to develop a musical and personal trust with these men. These long term relationships have developed such a deep root system that spontaneous music, just like in conversation, peels away layers and layers of information. This type of communication, just like in a business or marriage, can only be accomplished through years of commitment. Abrams points out, “It’s respect. One of the great basics of human nature is to communicate and realize that there’s always something to learn from the other individual. That’s one of the great basics of humanity. We’re all very experienced in improvising. We don’t have to talk about it. We’ve learned, from experience, how to compose as we improvise. The basis for that is respecting the space that you create between the players. In this case, between the two of us; Roscoe and myself. Then, we respect the space itself. Because on a recording like this, there are times that you are active, and times that you are silent. But, you have to determine that according to how you feel the space at the time. That just takes time as a friend to develop. People from the AACM all developed that through the years, cause we associated so long together. We can do it in larger groups; we can take eight people and do the same thing. We could organize the space in a respectful manner because of our experience. It’s a question of basically being active, and not being active. Just like a conversation. Rather than everyone trying to crowd the space non-stop. Now, some people prefer to do it that way, but we’ve been fortunate enough to be impressed with the value of composing, whether you have a pen just an instrument in your hand.”
It’s because Abrams has been working for 40 years with his friend Roscoe Mitchell that the new record has turned out so successfully. “I like the new record. For one thing, it’s interesting that we were fortunate enough to get it done, and be able to perform and improvise with our own spaces on a recording like that. “ It’s the celebration of our individuality, as well as our interdependence as fellow people that keeps Abrams’ motivated to be musically creative. He points out that “The proof of it is that we are all individuals, and this world accommodates everybody. You can’t exhaust it. It accommodates the living and the dead. Therefore, there’s always space to respect the other person. Now some people don’t feel a need to respect others. But there’s always room enough the up, down, left and right.
The great thing about long term friendships, is that each person learns to appreciate eachother’s differences, which is what makes the relationship so special, and Abrams is appreciative of that part of life. “I’m thankful for being able to respect the law of individualism. I’m thankful to be able to see that. We all learn from each other. None of us are alike. Even twins have a degree of separation, whether it’s one or two minutes.” Abrams celebrates that the Bible says, we’re fearfully and wonderfully made. “It’s incredible. I’m thankful that I can view humanity in that manner, because I’ve learned a lot just from observing individuals. When we talk about the study of music, what is that except observing how individuals approach things because they think of things that I may not think of and vice versa. It’s a whole big learning experience, and you apply your approach to the musical problem you’re trying to solve. “
Abrams takes his learned lessons seriously, and considers one of his missions in his life to use his musical talents to teach people these universal truths about life, stating “The thing is, you’re tomorrow has everything has everything to do with what you do today. Tomorrow doesn’t appear unless you make it appear. You’re asking for a certain condition tomorrow by your actions today. If you get drunk today, you’ll have a hangover tomorrow. It’s a basic and universal law. You reap what you sow. You look at the world today, and people wonder, “Why do we have all these wars?” Well, if you shoot, someone’s going to have to shoot back!” Why not put the guns down and talk? Our hearts have to change. You have to understand the basic law of reciprocation. It’s like putting blinders on, and proceeding in cross traffic; anything may happen, because you’ve blinded yourself. You can live a better life and help others, simply by adjusting your own conduct. Either people are going to hate to see you coming, or love to see you coming. “ For Abrams, the proof of one’s life is not in words, but in what is done, “That’s your conduct. It proves itself everyday. That’s why it applies to all.”
Abrams’ proof is in his 2 score years of musical creativity and exploration, which has been enhanced by his long term friendships. Through his music, we’ve taken part of that relationship.