OFF THE RECORD

Jeff Abrams
The Musical Mediator

By Nelson S. Ebaugh

Jeff Abrams has conducted over 3,000 mediations. In 2003–2004, he served as president of the Association of Attorney-Mediators. Before that, he served as the chair of the HBA’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section.  In sum, if you are a civil litigator, it is likely that you have retained, or at least considered retaining, him as mediator. Most attorneys, however, are not aware of Jeff’s true passion outside of work—playing the flute.

Jeff began playing the flute while in college. He started during his freshman year with a bamboo flute that he purchased at a craft show. On the advice of the salesman, he initially played the flute in a bathroom because the reverberation off the tile walls improved the quality of the flute’s sound. Soon after, his girlfriend gave him a real flute. The maintenance man for Jeff’s college apartment overheard Jeff practicing the flute and invited him to join his group, a southern rock band. Jeff has been playing ever since.

Jeff has always performed with a band.  According to him, no one wants to hear the flute played alone.  For years, he was a member of a jam band in Houston called Mango Chutney. Jeff has played at a number of local venues, including The Mucky Duck and The Big Easy. He has even played at the Kerrville Folk Festival.  Occasionally, Jeff has played the flute with his musician friends to make CDs.  As of late, his preferred venue for jams is his own house.  In fact, for 12 years, he has been hosting fundraising concerts at his house.

At each of these house concerts, Jeff invites professional musicians to play, and he will sometimes join in on flute. Guests at these concerts usually pay $10 and bring food for a potluck dinner. The money that is collected is donated to The Houston Blues Society, a friend in need, the musicians, or some other worthy cause. It is not uncommon for more than 200 people to attend his house concerts. After the main performance, Jeff and his friends will jam, sometimes until the wee hours of the morning.  Indeed, at one house concert, there were four separate jams taking place in various portions of the house: the back porch, the music room, the living room and the kitchen. Children often get involved by playing tambourines and other instruments they find in his music room. Perhaps the most well known band to play at Jeff’s house is Lost Gonzo. For years, the Lost Gonzo Band played and recorded with Jerry Jeff Walker.

Jeff’s big influences were Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and Chris Wood of Traffic. According to Jeff, the flute is not always a quiet instrument, as evidenced by his performance of the Jimi Hendrix classic, “Voodoo Chile,” which is his favorite piece to play.  Jeff, who doesn’t read music, prefers to play blues, folk and rock with a bit of jazz.  Watch out, Ron Burgundy.

In addition to playing the flute and hosting house concerts, Jeff is very active in the Houston music scene, having served on the board for the Cultural Arts Council of Houston/Harris County and as vice president of The Houston Blues Society.

Jeff’s talent for the flute is not all that surprising. After all, it takes a smooth operator to calm down litigants in a heated dispute.

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