Ahmed Abdul-Malik was among the first to incorporate non-Western musical elements in jazz. He was a hard-bop bassist of distinction and also played the oud (a Middle Eastern unfretted lute) with a plectrum. Abdul-Malik recorded the instrument with Johnny Griffin in the 1950s and with John Coltrane in 1961. He also contributed to one of the many albums that were made from the Live at the Village Vanguard sessions. Abdul-Malik was raised in Brooklyn, NY. He was a bassist for Randy Weston, Art Blakey, and Thelonious monk in his twenties, thirties and thirties. Under the auspices of the U.S. State Department he played the oud and performed at the first major African jazz festival in Morocco in 1972. He began his teaching career at New York University in 1970 and then Brooklyn College. He was awarded the Pioneer in Jazz Award by BMI in 1984 for his efforts in blending Middle Eastern and jazz musics. from http://www.allmusic.com
