Blues Forever

1982 studio album by Muhal Richard Abrams

Blues Forever

Studio album by

Muhal Richard Abrams

Released

1982

Recorded

July 20, 21, 27, 1981

Studio

Barigozzi Studio, Milan

Genre

Jazz

Length

42:21

Label

Black Saint

Producer

Giovanni Bonandrini

Muhal Richard Abrams chronology

Duet
(1981)

Blues Forever
(1982)

Rejoicing with the Light
(1983)

Blues Forever is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams, released by the Italian label Black Saint in 1982 and featuring performances of seven of Abrams compositions by an eleven-member big band.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	^[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	^[3]

The AllMusic review by Ron Wynn stated: "Although every arrangement doesn't click, the band successfully romps and stomps through enough cuts to show that the big band sound doesn't just mean "ghost" groups recreating dusty numbers from the 1930s and 1940s."^[1] The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide called the album "Abrams's crowning achievement".^[3] The Penguin Guide to Jazz described it as "a sparkling big-band date with some demanding charts and a vivid sub-current of the blues".^[2]

Track listing

All compositions by Muhal Richard Abrams

"Ancient and Future Reflections" – 6:46
"Du King" (Dedicated to Duke Ellington) – 2:00
"Chambea" – 7:30
"Duet for One World" – 4:53
"Blues Forever" – 9:01
"Cluster for Many Worlds" – 5:02
"Quartet to Quartet" – 7:09

Personnel

Muhal Richard Abrams – piano, conductor
Baikida Carroll – trumpet, flugelhorn
Craig Harris – trombone
Wallace Leroy McMillan – baritone saxophone, flute
Jimmy Vass – alto saxophone, flute
Eugene Ghee – tenor saxophone, clarinet
Vincent Chancey – French horn
Howard Johnson – tuba, baritone saxophone
Jean-Paul Bourelly – guitar
Michael Logan – bass
Andrew Cyrille – drums

References

^ ^a ^b Wynn, Ron. "Blues Forever - Muhal Richard Abrams". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
^ ^a ^b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
^ ^a ^b Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. US: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 4. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.