Muhal Richard Abrams - Young At Heart / Wise In Time (1969)

Muhal Richard Abrams, as the founder of the AACM in Chicago, has been one of the unsung leaders of the avant-garde ever since the mid-'60s. A versatile pianist, Abrams is heard in two different settings on this, his second session as a leader. "Young at Heart" finds him stretching out on a solo piano performance that hints at earlier styles while exploring the potential sounds and silence of free jazz. Wise in Time has Abrams functioning as part of an explorative quintet with trumpeter Leo Smith and altoist Henry Threadgill, both of whom were unknown youngsters at the time. Fascinating music, it is recommended strictly for the open-eared listener who does not demand that all jazz swing conventionally. ~ Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Delmark Records, DE-423, 1996
Recorded 20th August (#1) and 2nd July (#2) 1969 at Sound Studios, Los Angeles, CA 

Musicians:
Muhal Richard Abrams - Piano, Solo (#1)
Leo Smith - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, etc. (#2)
Henry Threadgill - Alto Saxophone (#2)
Lester Lashley - Bass (#2)
Thurman Barker - Percussion (#2) 

Tracks:
1. Young At Heart {Abrams} (29:20)
2. Wise In Time {Abrams} (21:52)

Total Time: 51:17

Credits:
Producer & Supervisor - Robert G. Koester
Reissue Producer - Chuck Nessa
Recording Engineer - Dave Antler
Remixing (#2) - Paul Serrano
Cover Photograph - Roy Lewis
Cover Design - Zbigniew Jastrzebski
Liner Notes - John Litweiler

Henry Threadgill - The About Time Albums [24/48 vinyl rips]

This trio of albums are dedicated to our old friend Uri.

I sheepishly admit that I still find this music a bit of a struggle to listen to. The fact is I am pretty limited in my ability to absorb and enjoy free jazz and the fact that someone like Threadgill, who is considered to be one of the more accessible of free artists, is still a struggle for me says I haven't made much progress in opening my ears.

For a long time these three albums, which are considered by many to be a peak time in Threadgills' career, went without a cd reissue. That was briefly addressed in 2001 when they were issued on cd, but those issues were small and the cd's are now even harder to find than the LP's. That explains why I've ended up ripping these for my friend Cliff. The albums were very nice copies, the rips sound good - if you look up any of these three at All Music you will find rave reviews.

It's not them, it's me.