Abbey Rader Releases First Album With West Coast Quartet

The Abbey Rader West Coast Quartet was formed in January 2015 when Abbey Rader, Peter Kuhn, Kyle Motl and Drew Ceccato met in California for the first time. Rader and Kuhn are both practicing Buddhists, and the common ground created an ever-present air of spirituality.

First Gathering was born out of Rader’s desire to create music based on the Four Noble Truths, the guiding principles of Buddhism. These teachings speak to fundamental truths about human existence and provide a path that leads to the end of suffering. From that launching point, the musicians developed four fully improvised pieces.

The album features remarkable interplay between musicians who hadn’t played together before. The group can burn with a fiery intensity or sizzle with meditative focus.

First Gathering is available now from CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon and all major retailers.

Abbey Rader: drums
Drew Ceccato: alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax
Peter Kuhn: alto sax, tenor sax, bass clarinet
Kyle Motl: double bass

Label: ABRAY Productions

Recent praise for Abbey Rader:

“Abbey Rader is an unheralded legend of free jazz.” —Mark Corroto, All About Jazz

“The intrepid and unfettered spirit of the 1960s jazz is alive and thriving in the 21st century and works by the likes of Abbey Rader and his colleagues are the reason why.” —Hrayr Attarian, All About Jazz