Abdul Wadud (musician)

For other people with the same name, see Abdul Wadud.

Abdul Wadud (born Ronald Earsall DeVaughn; April 30, 1947 – August 10, 2022) was an American cellist known for his work in jazz and classical settings.^[2] Jazz musician and fellow composer Tomeka Reid hailed Abdul Wadud's "Camille" in a 2020 feature in the New York Times on music that one could play to make friends fall in love with the cello.^[3]

Abdul Wadud
Wadud in 1976
Background information
Birth name	Ronald Earsall DeVaughn[1]
Born	(1947-04-30)April 30, 1947 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Died	August 10, 2022(2022-08-10) (aged 75) Cleveland
Genres	Jazz, avant-garde jazz, classical
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Cello
Years active	1965–2022

His son is R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn.^[4]

Wadud died on August 10, 2022, at the age of 75.^[4]

Discography

As leader

• 1977: By Myself Bishara, 1978
• 1976: Live In New York (with Julius Hemphill) Red Records, 1978
• 1979: Straight Ahead/Free At Last (with Leroy Jenkins) Red
• 1984: I've Known Rivers (with James Newton & Anthony Davis) Gramavision
• 1986: Black Swan Quartet (with Akbar Ali, Eileen Folson & Reggie Workman) Minor Music
• 1990: Trio^2 (with James Newton & Anthony Davis) Gramavision
• 1993: Oakland Duets (with Julius Hemphill) Music & Arts

As sideman

• Black Unity Trio – Al-Fatihah (1971) Salaam
• Frank Lowe – Fresh (1974) Black Lion
• George Lewis – Shadowgraph 5 (1977) Black Saint
• Charles "Bobo" Shaw – The Streets of St. Louis (1977)
• Oliver Lake – Shine! (1978)
• Barry Altschul – Another Time/Another Place (1978) Muse
• Michael Franks – Tiger In The Rain (1979) Warner Brothers
• Muhal Richard Abrams – Rejoicing with the Light (Black Saint, 1983)
• David Murray – The People's Choice (1988) Columbia
• Marty Ehrlich Dark Woods Ensemble – Emergency Peace (1991) New World
• Juma Sultan's Aboriginal Music Society – Father of Origin (Eremite, 2011) recorded in 1970–1971

With James Newton

• Paseo Del Mar (1978)
• Portraits (1982)
• Romance And Revolution (1986)

With Julius Hemphill

• Dogon A.D. (Mbari, 1972)
• Coon Bid'ness (Mbari, 1975)
• Raw Materials and Residuals (Black Saint, 1977)
• Flat-Out Jump Suite (Black Saint, 1980)
• Live from the New Music Cafe (Music & Arts, 1991)
• The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (New World, 2021)

With Arthur Blythe

• Light Blue: Arthur Blythe Plays Thelonious Monk (1983) Columbia
• Elaborations (1982) Columbia
• Illusions (1980) Columbia
• The Grip (1977) India Navigation
• Metamorphosis (1977) India Navigation

With Anthony Davis

• Of Blues And Dreams (1978) Sackville
• Epistemes (1981)
• Undines (1986)

References

1. "Abdul Wadud, Cellist Who Crossed Musical Boundaries, Dies at 75". The New York Times. August 18, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
2. Allmusic
3. "5 Minutes That Will Make You Love the Cello". The New York Times. June 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
4. Johnson, Martin (August 12, 2022). "Abdul Wadud, expressive cellist who blazed a trail in improvised music, dies at 75". NPR. Retrieved August 12, 2022.

External links

• Abdul Wadud at AllMusic
• Abdul Wadud discography at Discogs
• Wanek, Joel; Reid, Tomeka (December 2016). "By Myself: An Interview with Abdul Wadud". Point of Departure.
• Crépon, Pierre (March 2020). "The Blistering Cosmic Music of The Black Unity Trio". The Wire.
• Lee, David (December 2020). "Knocking Down Barriers: An Interview with Abdul Wadud, 1980". Point of Departure.
• Obituary from National Public Radio
• Obituary from JazzTimes
• Crépon, Pierre (August 2022). "Cleveland memories of Abdul Wadud". The Wire.
• Shteamer, Hank (May 1, 2023). "Abdul Wadud's Cosmic Cello Music Gets Another Moment in the Sun". The New York Times.