Playing down to earth solos on many way-out Dizzy Gillespie sides, the tenor saxophonist Ray Abrams was part of the Abramson family musical dynasty. He was born Raymond Abramson in New York City in the early '20s. His younger brother Lee Abramson, who became Lee Abrams, was a jazz drummer who roamed in pretty much the same musical territory, best described as the foothills leading from the plush swing lowlands to the bebop mountain peaks, an image served well by some of the notes Gillespie hit. The brothers were both trained by their talented father, who played both clarinet ...