A Strange Celestial Road by Ahmed Abdullah; Salim Washington (Foreword by) [Print copy on order]ISBN: 9781953691163
Publication Date: 2023-10-03
In this memoir, Harlem-born trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah recounts decades of national and international touring with the Sun Ra Arkestra and charts the rise of New York loft jazz scene, offering a fascinating portrait of advanced music in Brooklyn and lower Manhattan from the 1970s through the 1990s, including thrilling stories about the politically important Bed-Stuy venue The East and Abdullah's tutelage under composer and long-time Archie Shepp collaborator Cal Massey. Along the way, it covers the author's spiritual development, battles with addiction, tribulations as a father, and working life as an educator and taxi driver.
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