Released 20 years ago
Streaming (Muhal Richard Abrams)
Muhal Richard Abrams · 2006
73 min · 5 tracks · jazz
A sprawling exploration of avant-garde textures and improvisational freedom that defies conventional jazz boundaries.
Top tracks — play these first
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Scrape — This opening track sets the tone with its intense dynamics and intricate interplay between musicians, highlighting Abrams' ability to create tension through dissonance.
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Dramaturns — A lengthy composition that showcases the group's improvisational prowess, 'Dramaturns' weaves together various motifs, demonstrating Abrams' skill in guiding spontaneous creativity.
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Streaming — 'Streaming' embodies the album's essence with its fluid structure and continuous evolution of themes, reflecting Abrams' vision of music as an ever-changing landscape.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
InstrumentalThe album showcases complex structures and improvisation, highlighting Abrams' unique voice in jazz.
What we noticed
- The album features five tracks, each varying in length and structure, with improvisational sections that often shift unexpectedly.
- Each track explores different textures and dynamics, with some passages featuring dense clusters of notes while others allow for spacious, minimalist moments.
- Composition 25% of the score
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8/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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7/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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8/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- immersive soundscapes for deep listening
- exploratory journeys through sound
- patient unfolding of musical ideas
- intense focus on improvisational detail
Maybe skip if you
- seeking instant gratification
- prefer structured song formats
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Released in 2006, Streaming is a significant entry in Muhal Richard Abrams' oeuvre, following his influential work in the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). By this time, Abrams had already established himself as a leading figure in free jazz, with decades of experience shaping his innovative approach to composition and improvisation.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Anthony Braxton· Sun Ra· Ornette Coleman
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Scrape 10:02
- 2 Bound 11:02
- 3 Dramaturns 18:27
- 4 Soundhear 16:36
- 5 Streaming 17:34
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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