Both Abene and Kirchner, in addition to being world-class instrumentalists, are well-known composer-arrangers, producers, educators, and Grammy-winners. In 1989, the duo and Chick Corea's Akoustic Band were the first American jazz groups to play in Taiwan. Since then, Abene and Kirchner have performed at, among other places, the Jazz Educators' (IAJE) Convention in Anaheim, California and the Alec Wilder Memorial Concert in New York City.
Abene is a jazz-faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music and co-director of the BMI Jazz Composers' Workshop.Kirchner is on the faculty of the New School University's Jazz and Contemporary Music Program. He is the editor of the newly-published The Oxford Companion to Jazz."
The duo can be heard on Kirchner's CD Some Enchanted Evening" (A-Records), which also includes duets by Kirchner with pianists Marc Copland and Harold Danko.
For more information contact All About Jazz.