DR. EMMANUEL ABDUL RAHIM AKA “JUAN AMALBERT”

Emmanuel Abdul-Rahim aka Juan Amalbert is an internationally renowned musician, a professional artist for over 50 years. He is a master percussionist, composer, author, arranger, orchestrator, adjuster, educator and master sound recording engineer.

He has written, recorded, and taught many in film score composition, orchestrations, arrangements for all variety of musical units. Born: NYC, NY Residences: New York City, NY & Copenhagen, Denmark Principal Instruments: Percussion, Drums Hon. Ph.D., Yale University Masters Degree in Rhythm Studied composition at Berklee College Mr. Abdul-Rahim is perhaps best known for his recordings under his name and that of the Latin-Jazz Quintet with Eric Dolphy.

His creative abilities have been expressed in countless works with another great artist. Emmanuel Abdul-Rahim is the leader and artist in the renown 1960-1961 recording “Hot Sauce” by the Original Latin-Jazz Quintet, which is a five star must have CD in one’s collection. Some of the finest that Emmanuel Abdul-Rahim has worked with in his outstanding career as accompanist, arranger, conductor and producer are with such Great Artist as, Sir Edward “Duke” Ellington and his Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, the Slide Hampton Orchestra, the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, Thad Jones Eclipse Orchestra, “Slide Hampton Orchestra, John Coltrane, Jesper Johanson, Art Blakeys Jazz Messengers, Jimmy Jones, John Birks “Dizzy” Gillispie, James Moody, Roy Haynes, Johnny M’Bizo Dyani, Shirley Scott, Sir Roland Hanna, Horace Parlan, Kenny Barron, Steve Berrios, Eddie Gladden, Joe Newman, Bob Cranshaw, Randy Brecker, Eric Dolphy, Don Shirley, Ahmad Jamal, Jerome Richardson, Bill Ellington, Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band, Bent Jaedig, Richard Boone, Clark Terry, Sarah Vaughn, Miriam Makeba, Alice Babs, Josephine Baker, Aretha Franklin, Irma Franklin, Jackie “Mom” Mabley, Lloyd Price, The Four Tops, Dinah Ross, Esther Williams, Jimmy Cliff, and Marion Marlow.

REVIEW: Sir “Duke” Ellington’s The Jaywalker So what makes The Jaywalker memorable? The Ellington band is joined by a percussionist, Emmanuel Abdul-Rahim. The empathy between Abdul- Rahim on conga drums and Ellington on the piano is as imaginative as anything you’ll find in Ellington’s output during these years. What Chano Pozo was to Dizzy Gillespie, Abdul-Rahim might have been to Ellington, had they had a longer musical relationship. Odd that Ellington didn’t establish more working relationships with conga drummers, but we can be grateful for the ecstatic conversation that Abdul-Rahim and Ellington establish. The Jaywalker is not essential Ellington but has value for revealing the Duke’s special affection for drummers not purely within a jazz bag.

TEACHING: Schillinger System and advance rhythm composition taught privately. In Europe for 25 years. A teacher at Denmarks Royal Conservatory Of Music, orchestra master classes. Copenhagen, Danish Jazz Conservatory Copenhagen 2 years. Odense Conservatory Of Music 3 years. Master Classes at Aarhus Music ConservatoryDenmark. Denmark’s Music School System 5 years. FILMS: Original music composed and recorded for the Danish film The Foreign Correspondent, for Jørgen Leth. Composed and recorded original music for Crone Films/Nordic Films documentary Peter von Scholten. Composed and recorded original percussion music for the Danish film The African-Eurasian Eclipse. TV: Ellington Is Forever, CBS TV New York City. Berlin Jazz-Tag at the Berlin Philharmonic with Thad Jones Orchestra. Oslo Norway with Thad Jones Orchestra Swedish TV with Thad Jones Orchestra. Denmark TV with “Dizzy” Gillispie Live At Tivoli. Denmark TV at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival with Emmanuel Abdul- Rahim and his Orchestra. Copenhagen Jazz Festival Emmanuel Abdul-Rahim’s Orchestra. Copenhagen Jazz Festival with Thad Jones “Eclipes Orchestra.” Danish TV composed and performed original work for GIA, with 800 Danish voices and Big Band live in Aarhus Concert Hall. Written original compositions and recorded for Denmark’s Radio/ TV. Ballet Companies: Katherine Dunham Dance Company, Syvilla Forte Dance Company, Talley Beatty Dance Company, Alvin Alley Dance Company, The Eartha Kitt Foundation in Harlem.