About Muhal Richard Abrams
Muhal Richard Abrams was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the United States, Canada and Europe with his orchestra, sextet, quartet, duo, and as a solo pianist. Abrams and his brother would pull the cart around the neighborhood, eventually arriving at a junk-yard on State Street, where the items would be sold." Abrams first attended Forrestville public school in Chicago. Abrams co-founded a quintet named the MJT+3, and recorded with them in 1957, resulting in Daddy-O Presents MJT+3, which contained several of his compositions. His father became a self-employed handyman; his mother was a housewife. "Abrams's paternal grandfather was 'what you call a junk man', selling the fruits of neighborhood foraging. Abrams also became more involved in investigating the "occult arts" around 1959 or 1960, and joined the Rosicrucians.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.