Muhal Richard Abrams

SoundDance presents Muhal Richard Abrams - pianist, composer and co-founder of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) - captured live in concert in two fully-im'provised duo performances. Disc One brings together Abrams and Chicago tenor saxophone titan Fred Anderson in their first release together despide a shared history going back over fifty years. Sadly it may also be the final recording of Anderson, who passed away in 2010. The second disc features Abrams with the laptop and trombone of George Lewis, the composer and MacArthur Fellow whose innovative work with interactive computer music is highly influential. The concerts place Abrams in two very different situations: his duo with Anderson finds him in a more familiar acoustic setting, while the one with Lewis finds him negotiating through an array of electronic and acoustic textures. Together, the performances reveal a man who remains dedicated to the pursuit of innovation in the art of improvisation.