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.

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)

Critical reception

The Allmusic review by Ron Wynn awarded the album 4 stars stating, "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".[2] 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".[3]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	[3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[2]

Track listing

• All compositions by Muhal Richard Abrams

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