Muhal Richard Abrams: One for the Whistler

Muhal Richard Abrams has been leading large ensembles since 1961, and his orchestral work balances pure experimentalism with more overt references to the jazz tradition. The result is often a vibrant progressive big band music, as heard on One For The Whistler. Here Abrams overflows with ideas for timbral blendsnote the vibraphone and muted trumpet that offset Joel Brandons papery, flutelike whistling. But despite the dedication to Brandon, the piece is more of a feature for saxophonist Eugene Ghee. The tenorman turns it out in classic ballad mode, with his romantic and moonlit solo evoking the rattle of the el over rain-slicked streets.