- Chris Abrahams
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Chris Abrahams 
James Waples, Mike Majkowski and Chris AbrahamsBackground information Born 1961
New ZealandInstruments Piano, DX7 Synthesiser Years active 1985-present Associated acts The Necks, Benders, the Laughing Clowns, The Sparklers Notable instruments Piano Chris Abrahams (born 1961 in New Zealand[1]) is a Sydney-based pianist,[2] best known for his jazz work.
Abrahams has been a member of the Benders, the Laughing Clowns, The Sparklers and The Necks.[3] He has recorded several solo albums, as well as collaborations with Melanie Oxley from the Sparklers. Abrahams has also been a session musician on albums for artists such as The Church, The Whitlams, Midnight Oil, Wendy Matthews, Skunkhour and Silverchair.[4]
Chris Abrahams produced and arranged the music for the Australian film "The Tender Hook" which was released in 2008.[5][6] In 2008, Chris Abraham's work on the film's soundtrack was nominated for the "Best Original Music Score" AFI Award.[7]
Some of Abrahams music is experimental in nature—The Necks are an improvisational trio, and Abraham's performance at the Room40 Tenth Anniversary in London was labeled "ambient", "free-jazz" and "industrial noise" by (UK) Financial Times reviewer, Mike Hobart.[8] Chris Reid from RealTime Arts Magazine wrote of his Germ Studies collaboration with Clare Cooper, an organizer of the NOWnow Festival who played the Chinese zither on the album, ". . . it represents an extensive investigation into the endless range of sounds that can be created by combining the venerable DX7 synthesiser and the even more venerable Chinese zither, the guzheng. . . a deep exploration of musical language".[9]
Contents
Solo discography
- Piano (Hot HTLP1014, 1985)
- Walk (Hot HTLP1025, 1986)
- Glow (Vegetable/Vitamin VEGE001, 2001)
- Streaming (Vegetable Records VEGE002, 2003)
- Thrown (Room40 RM409, 2005)[10]
- The Tender Hook Soundtrack (Vitamin Records, 2008)
- Play Scar (Room40, 2010)[11]
Discography with Melanie Oxley
- Resisting Calm (Spiral Scratch, 1990)
- Welcome To Violet (Remote/MDS, 1992)
- Coal (Remote/MDS, 1994)
- Jerusalem Bay (Remote, 1998)
- Blood Oranges (Vitamin, 2003)
Other collaborations
- Pedal (Staubgold STAUBGOLD83, 2008) with Simon James Phillips
- Oceanic Feeling Like (Room40 RM420, 2008) with Mike Cooper
- Germ Studies (Split Records, Splitrec CD19, 2009) with Clare Cooper[9][12]
References
- ^ "Chris Abrahams". The Necks. The Necks. http://www.thenecks.com/bio#chris. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ Rose, Jon (17/01/2003). "Forte Piano Solo - Chris Abrahams". Australia Adlib. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.abc.net.au/arts/adlib/stories/s857576.htm. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ Swift, Brendan. "Chris Abrahams - Biography". All Music. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/chris-abrahams-p359222/biography. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ Holmgren, Magnus. "Chris Abrahams - Session musician". Australian Rock Database. http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/a/abrahamschris.html. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ "The Tender Hook (2008)". IMDB - The Internet Movie Database. 2008. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452692/fullcredits#cast. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ "The Tender Hook (sound recording) : motion picture soundtrack.". State Library of New South Wales. http://library.sl.nsw.gov.au/record=b2786495~S2. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ "Awards for The Tender Hook (2008)". IMDB - The Internet Movie Database. 2008. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452692/awards. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ Hobart, Mike (08/11/2010). "Chris Abrahams, Café Oto, London". Financial Times (UK). http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/0b7ec290-eb56-11df-b482-00144feab49a.html#axzz1NZX0QTI4. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ a b Reid, Chris. "Earbash - Sound/Music CD Reviews - clare cooper & chris abrahams". RealTime Arts Magazine. http://www.realtimearts.net/feature/Earbash/9619. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ Schaefer, Max (September 2005). "Chris Abrahams - Thrown (Room40/Couchblip)". Cyclic Defrost Magazine - Issue #012. Cyclic Defrost Magazine. http://www.cyclicdefrost.com/review.php?review=991. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ Laing, Oliver (27/07/2010). "Chris Abrahams – Play Scar (Room40)". Cyclic Defrost Magazine. http://www.cyclicdefrost.com/blog/2010/07/27/chris-abrahams-%E2%80%93-play-scar-room40/. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ Meggitt, Joshua (06/04/2009). "Chris Abrahams and Clare Cooper – Germ Studies for Guzheng and DX7 (Splitrec)". Cyclic Defrost Magazine. http://www.cyclicdefrost.com/blog/2009/04/06/chris-abrahams-and-clare-cooper-germ-studies-for-guzheng-and-dx7-splitrec/. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
Categories:- 1961 births
- Living people
- Australian jazz musicians
- Australian pianists
- Australian session musicians
- Musicians from Sydney
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