Young at Heart/Wise in Time

Young at Heart/Wise in Time

ASIN: B000004BF8

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This CD reissue of pianist and composer Muhal Richard Abrams's first record as a bandleader evinces both his singular focus on the piano and his command of an ensemble playing a difficult score. The music is highly wrought yet full of free space for expressive possibility. His keyboard technique unfolds gorgeously, from full piano runs that teeter into glissandi and shaken tonal foundations, to a jarring, ear-popping life that rattles the bones. With his young group of up-and-coming Chicago talent, Abrams presented his 21-plus minute "Wise in Time" with a breathtaking balance: composed and improvised passages happen in tandem; space and density collide; tonality and atonality chatter together. In short, Abrams's is a historical quilt work that decodes a great deal of other jazz avant-garde works while standing brightly, complexly on its own. --Andrew Bartlett

Young at Heart/Wise in Time,Muhal Richard Abrams,Delmark,Avant-Garde Jazz,Free Jazz,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop

Average customer rating:

A Beautiful Work

Landmark of the Chicago Avant-Garde

Young at Heart/Wise in Time
Muhal Richard Abrams
Manufacturer: Delmark
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000004BF8
Release Date: 1996-08-27

Tracks:

Young At Heart
Wise In Time

Amazon.com

This CD reissue of pianist and composer Muhal Richard Abrams's first record as a bandleader evinces both his singular focus on the piano and his command of an ensemble playing a difficult score. The music is highly wrought yet full of free space for expressive possibility. His keyboard technique unfolds gorgeously, from full piano runs that teeter into glissandi and shaken tonal foundations, to a jarring, ear-popping life that rattles the bones. With his young group of up-and-coming Chicago talent, Abrams presented his 21-plus minute "Wise in Time" with a breathtaking balance: composed and improvised passages happen in tandem; space and density collide; tonality and atonality chatter together. In short, Abrams's is a historical quilt work that decodes a great deal of other jazz avant-garde works while standing brightly, complexly on its own. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

A Beautiful Work.......2006-02-03

The standard comment on Muhal Richard Abrams is that he is more important for his work behind the scenes at AACM than for his recordings. True or not, Abrams is a brilliant musician who deserves to be heard.

The two tracks on this date show the variety of styles that Abrams can work with. The 29:20 "Young at Heart" s a piano solo that repeats a variety of themes while continuing to develop as he plays. I'm not sure if call this "free" or "avant" jazz, but it's far from the standards. Often reflective and moving, it's a beautiful work.

"Wise in Time" is an ensemble piece in which Abrams continues to play with great sensitivity. Lashley and Barker provide a strong backing, as Abrams, Leo Smith, and, in particular, Henry Threadgill, play burning solos.

If you are interested in AACM, you need this one.

Landmark of the Chicago Avant-Garde.......2004-07-05

Muhal Richard Abrams has never really gotten the attention nor respect he deserves, at least outside of the Chicago jazz scene. Maybe it's because he's so difficult to pigeonhole, leaping as he does from numerous camps and mixing everything from late modernism to gospel into one glorious whole. Maybe it's his steadfast refusal to sell out and dumb down his compositions. Maybe, as critic Gary Giddins has surmised, it's his somewhat exotic first name that frightens people off. Whatever the case, the man is a giant and deserves the reputation so many contemporary jazz artists grant him. This 1969 album consists of only two tracks, both lengthy explorations of opposite ends of the New Sound in jazz. 'Young At Heart' is a thirty minute improvistion on solo piano, in which Abrams touches upon ragtime and stride along with the louder bursts of atonality and lyrical passages of great beauty. It's an amazing accomplishment. 'Wise In Time' is a bit more difficult, a twenty-minute explosion of noise, featuring two players who would go on to become giants in their own right - Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet (here just going as Leo Smith), and Henry Threadgill on alto. A truly wonderful album, blessed with intelligence, energy, beauty and variety.

Jazz Music:

Jazz Music

Jazz Music