Ellington

Anxiously sitting at a corner table in the Hal & Mal's Restaurant downtown, 58-year-old Charly Abraham talks about his passion for music. He doesn't like to talk much about himself, it seems, but he opens up as he begins to recount his time as a music educator and arranger.

"It was great. It was the most fun of anything I believe I've ever done professionally," the Leland native says about his time directing the song and dance team—the modern equivalent of a show choir—at Ole Miss.

After graduating from Ole Miss in 1972 with a music education bachelor's degree, Abraham stayed on as a faculty member for three years before moving to Los Angeles.

"I figured what the hell," Abraham says. "I figured I'd always regret it if I didn't."

Abraham, who spent his formative years as a "long-haired hippie" playing any instrument he could get his hands on, quickly made connections in L.A., and began working on the television show "The White Shadow" as a music arranger. After about a season and a half, he left the show and began working in nightclubs.

Nostalgic for his friends back home in Mississippi, he moved to Jackson in 1987.

"Everything about (L.A.) was memorable," he says. "I'm glad I'm not there anymore, but I enjoyed my time there."

Soon after moving, Abraham landed a job at Hal & Mal's working as a bartender. He's been there ever since.

"Hal & Mal's was … popular; it was about the only place around," he says.

Abraham doesn't like to put a label or title to his job, but he guesses you could call him the general manager. Patrons, however, know him to be a bit of an everyman.

Outside of Hal & Mal's, Abraham relishes in arranging music. He has arranged for the Mississippi College show choir, the Naturals, in the past, but these days he does special music for First Baptist Church in Jackson, including the holiday event "Carols by Candlelight."

"There are a lot of people that can do what I do, but not many people actually get to do it," he says. "Believe me, I would pay for the privilege. It's wonderful."

Abraham's work is perhaps most visible at the annual Mal's St. Paddy's Parade, which takes over downtown Jackson March 21. He has been producing the parade for "a while," he says, and each year it gets bigger.

"It's not that we do anything differently," Abraham says. "It's just that it grows because it wants to."

One day, Abraham hopes to apply his music experience to a classroom setting, passing what he knows to another generation.

"I think I have a lot to offer them," he says.

Previous Comments

ID

144946

Comment

Excellent article about one of Jackson's unsung heroes!

Author

LaRue Owen

Date

2009-03-19T10:19:07-06:00