Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Encyclopedia
Ahmed Abdul-Malik was a jazz double bass
ist and oud
player of Sudan
ese descent.
In the mid-1970s, Malik was a substitute instructor in Brooklyn, New York, Junior High School 281, teaching strings under the supervision of Andrew Liotta, acclaimed composer of seven operas, choral, and numerous chamber works. While seeking a teaching cerification, in addition to study under Liotta in orchestration and composition, he also taught Sudanese in the junior high school language department. In the late 1970s he taught individual students private instruction in jazz improvisation at New York University.
He is noted for integrating Middle Eastern and North African music styles in his jazz music. He was the bassist for Art Blakey
, Randy Weston
, and Thelonious Monk
among others. As an oud
player he did a tour of South America
for the United States Department of State
and performed at an African jazz festival in Morocco
.
With John Coltrane
With Jutta Hipp
With Odetta
With Thelonious Monk
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
ist and oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
player of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese descent.
In the mid-1970s, Malik was a substitute instructor in Brooklyn, New York, Junior High School 281, teaching strings under the supervision of Andrew Liotta, acclaimed composer of seven operas, choral, and numerous chamber works. While seeking a teaching cerification, in addition to study under Liotta in orchestration and composition, he also taught Sudanese in the junior high school language department. In the late 1970s he taught individual students private instruction in jazz improvisation at New York University.
He is noted for integrating Middle Eastern and North African music styles in his jazz music. He was the bassist for Art Blakey
Art Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
, Randy Weston
Randy Weston
Randy Weston , is an American jazz pianist and composer, of Jamaican parentage.-Biography:Weston studied classical piano as a child. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he ran a restaurant that was frequented by many of the leading bebop musicians...
, and Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
among others. As an oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
player he did a tour of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
for the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
and performed at an African jazz festival in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
As leader
- 1958: Jazz Sahara (Riverside RecordsRiverside RecordsRiverside Records was a United States record label specializing in jazz. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer under his firm Bill Grauer Productions, Inc. in 1953, the label was a major presence in the jazz record industry for a decade...
, with Al HarewoodAl HarewoodAl Harewood is a musician and teacher, born in Brooklyn. As a drummer Harewood worked with many jazz musicians including the J.J. Johnson/Kai Winding group, the Art Farmer/Gigi Grice band, David Amram, and the Curtis Fuller-Benny Golson Sextet...
, Johnny GriffinJohnny GriffinJohn Arnold Griffin III was an American bop and hard bop tenor saxophonist.- Early life and career :Griffin studied music at DuSable High School in Chicago under Walter Dyett, starting out on clarinet before moving on to oboe and then alto sax...
) - 1959: East Meets West with Curtis FullerCurtis FullerCurtis DuBois Fuller is an American jazz trombonist, known as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributor to many classic jazz recordings.-Biography:...
, Jerome RichardsonJerome RichardsonJerome Richardson was an American jazz musician, tenor saxophonist, and flute player, who also played alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet and piccolo...
, Lee MorganLee MorganEdward Lee Morgan was an American hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
, Benny GolsonBenny GolsonBenny Golson is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger.-Biography:While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and...
, Johnny Griffin - 1961: The Music of Ahmed Abdul-Malik with Andrew CyrilleAndrew CyrilleAndrew Charles Cyrille is an avant-garde jazz drummer.Cyrille was born in Brooklyn, New York into a family with a mother from Haiti. He began studying science at St...
, Tommy TurrentineTommy TurrentineThomas Walter Turrentine, Jr. was a swing and hard bop trumpeter of the 1940s to 1960s, the older brother of saxophonist Stanley Turrentine.-Biography:...
, Eric DixonEric DixonEric Dixon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, flautist, and arranger.Dixon's professional career extended from 1950 until his death in 1989, during which time he was credited on perhaps as many as 200 recordings... - 1962: Jazz Sounds of Africa with Andrew Cyrille, Tommy Turrentine
- 1963: Eastern Moods of Ahmed Abdul Malik
- 1964: Spellbound
As sideman
With Art BlakeyArt Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
- The African BeatThe African BeatThe African Beat is a jazz album released by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in November 1962 on Blue Note Records. He described it as the first opportunity he had to work with drummers from Africa; as a blend of American jazz with the traditional rhythms and tonal colors in the percussion of...
(1962)
With John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
- Live! at the Village VanguardLive! at the Village VanguardLive at the Village Vanguard is the tenth album by jazz musician John Coltrane and his first live album, released in 1962 on Impulse Records, catalogue A-10. It is the first album to feature the members of the classic quartet of himself with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones...
(1961)
With Jutta Hipp
Jutta Hipp
Jutta Hipp was a jazz pianist who also had some success as a painter. She mostly worked in bebop and cool jazz....
- Jutta Hipp with Zoot SimsJutta Hipp with Zoot SimsJutta Hipp with Zoot Sims is an album by German jazz pianist Jutta Hipp recorded in 1956 which was released on the Blue Note label as BLP 1530.-Reception:...
(1956)
With Odetta
Odetta
Odetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals...
- Odetta and the BluesOdetta and the BluesOdetta and The Blues is an album by folk singer Odetta, released in 1962.Recorded as the 1950s/'60s American folk music revival was getting underway, the album is notable for Odetta's use of a jazz band on the record....
(1962) - Odetta Sings the BluesOdetta Sings the BluesOdetta Sings the Blues is an album by American folk singer Odetta, released in 1968. It was her second and last release on the Riverside label...
(1968)
With Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
- Misterioso (1958)
- Thelonious in ActionThelonious in ActionThelonious in Action: Recorded at the Five Spot Cafe is a 1958 album by jazz musician Thelonious Monk. Recorded live at the Five Spot Cafe it features Thelonious Monk , Johnny Griffin , Ahmed Abdul-Malik , and Roy Haynes ....
(1958) - Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie HallThelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie HallAt Carnegie Hall is a much acclaimed live album by The Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane.It was recorded on 29 November 1957 at "Thanksgiving Jazz", a benefit concert produced by Kenneth Lee Karpe for the Morningside Community Center in Harlem. Other acts playing included: Billie Holiday,...
(1957, released 2005)