Biography

Art Abrams Biography

Art Abrams began his music career as a teenager in the midst of the big band era. Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Glenn Miller, and his personal favorite, Harry James were the kings of music. He fell in love with the sound of the trumpet, especially the trumpet stylings of Harry James and later in his career, Chet Baker. Art went out and bought his first Selmer Trumpet 45 years ago. Its been an ongoing love affair ever since. For Art, jazz music was a revelation and he wanted to be a part of it.

After graduating from the Los Angeles City College and the City College Jazz Band, Art became a professional musician playing with the Jerry Gray, Charlie Barnet, Les Elgart, Keith Williams, and Buddy Bregman big bands in the 50's and early 60's. Each band leader had his own concepts and musical style and Art absorbed their knowledge of sound and taste for arrangements. However, Art still regards band leaders Stan Kenton, Count Basie, and Woody Herman as major influences in his own style of big band music.

Art has played in, and been a leader of several small combos, including Latin, jazz, and casual combos.

His whole life has revolved around music: listening, playing, teaching music and passing on his passion and love for jazz. He has become one of KMHD's most popular DJ's with two shows a week. Listen to Art's shows on Saturdays, "Jukebox Saturday Night" from 6pm to 7pm and on formerly on Sundays from 11am to 2pm on KMHD at 89.1 FM.

Art's insatiable love of jazz, his experience, his passions have led him to develop arrangements and voicings of lush brass chords and rich textures that are the signature stylings of the Swing Machine Big Band. He is a musical perfectionist looking for that perfect chord, that excellence of sound that has become the signature of his band.