It’s not often that a simple piano salesman receives a
concert in his honor from the most distinguished musicians in
contemporary jazz.
The Friends of Jazz at UCLA held a tribute concert to David L.
Abell for his 75th birthday on June 5, honoring him with the UCLA
Duke Ellington Humanitarian Award. Schoenberg Hall was filled with
family, friends and fans, along with those whom Abell had helped
through his numerous involvements in charity and scholarship
funds.
Performers included Kenny Burrell and his All-Stars, Jeffrey
Kahane, Steve Tyrell, the Gerald Clayton Trio, Mike Melvoin and
Diana Krall. Handpicked by some of Abell’s closest friends,
the musicians played pro bono in tribute to him and his countless
contributions to the jazz world. Many of the songs were either
composed for the occasion or selected from his favorites. A
two-volume CD was also compiled in tribute to Abell featuring some
of the most famous jazz pianists, who also played pro bono.
Burrell, a professor, director and co-founder of the jazz
studies program at UCLA, has worked closely with Abell for a number
of years.
“The concert is an indication of the kind of friends he
has,” Burrell said. “He’s supported so many
artists in his lifetime and has gone out of his way to be
encouraging and communicative with them. I’ve found it very
refreshing to get to know him over the years.”
Deeming himself as “blessed with no talent” in the
realm of music, Abell’s love for jazz and involvement in
countless organizations shows that one does not have to be a
musician in order to make a career in music. Native to Los Angeles,
Abell attended UCLA as a political science student from 1948 to
1954. After graduating, he started and maintained his legendary
store, David L. Abell Fine Pianos, on Beverly Boulevard. And for
nearly 50 years, he has been providing pianos to some of the most
well-known pianists, in addition to donating them to the Hollywood
Bowl, the Music Center and UCLA.
“The sales would come or go, but (my job) gave me the
opportunity ““ as long as I had my wife’s permission
““ to do some things that might help others,” Abell
said.
Abell is former president of the Los Angeles Jazz Society and
current chairman emeritus. He founded Friends of Washington Prep,
an organization designed to aid gifted students who lack the
necessary resources to advance their musical education. He and his
wife established the Barbara and David Abell Scholarship for piano
students in the name of Duke Ellington, and Abell is currently
establishing the David L. Abell Scholarship fund to benefit
students in the UCLA jazz studies program.
These contributions to the musical world have earned him titles
such as “angel,” “Robin Hood,” and
“Lone Ranger.” However, Abell is extremely modest about
his accomplishments, preferring to stay on the sidelines while
illuminating his mentors, friends and admired musicians.
“I’m kind of a square really,” he said.
“I’m not for publication. As a younger person I learned
that there are people that are on both sides of the footlights, and
I knew mine. It was a very rewarding experience being in the music
business, the opportunity to hear some of the great musicians come
in. … I heard a lot of good music up front and
personal.”
His friends and colleagues have only endearing words for the
generous Abell, who supplied pianos to every type and style of
pianist. He and Marv Jubas, Friends of Jazz sponsor and committee
member, have been close friends for more than 40 years. Jubas
helped organized the tribute concert’s superstar line-up.
“I don’t want to get all mushy,” Jubas said,
“but that whole room (on Sunday night) was just filled with
love. Every one of the musicians was playing at the top of their
game, and it’s clear why. Almost every major pianist both in
the classical and the jazz world would not dream of buying a piano
from anyone but him because one, they can’t help but like
David, and two, they knew when they explained their needs to him
that David would get them the perfect piano.”
While he may be a patron of all genres of music, Abell’s
heart undoubtedly belongs to jazz. He fell in love with the genre
thanks to a song called “Translucency” by Kay
Davis.
“I heard that and it was an epiphany,” Abell said.
“It was one of the greatest things I had ever
heard.”
As a long-standing supporter of jazz, his passion for it remains
unabated. The immediacy and intimacy of jazz performance strikes a
chord with him that other styles fail to equal.
“The feeling for me (is), as much as I love classical
music, at a classical concert somebody walks on the stage, you
applaud, they sit down and play, you applaud, and they
leave,” Abell said. “With jazz, you go to a club and
you might be sitting 10 feet away from some musician and have
direct eye contact. If he walks by, you instantly have a
communication that can take place because there’s not the
insulation that takes place at the classical level.”
Though Abell has retired from his piano business, he still
remains a very active member of the jazz community, and his
standards for bettering education continue to rise. Passing on the
knowledge of jazz to the next generation of Burrells and Kralls is
paramount.
“I want to see the jazz studies program become the
department or school of jazz. It’s not even a department of
music at UCLA, and that slightly troubles me,” Abell
said.
“It’s a crusade, to get people to give it a shot, to
have ’em listen to some good jazz.”