Self-taught at a young age, Abe performed with notables such as Motoharu Yoshizawa, Takehisa Kosugi, Yosuke Yamashita, Derek Bailey, and Milford Graves,[1] although he generally performed solo.
He was married to the author Izumi Suzuki, and was a cousin to singer Kyu Sakamoto.
He was portrayed in Kōji Wakamatsu's film Endless Waltz by novelist and punk rock singer Kō Machida.
Abe dropped out of high school in 1967, at 17 years of age, to focus on perfecting his playing, and in 1968, he did his first performance, at a jazz spot named Oreo.
Abe died from Bromisoval overdose in 1978, causing an acute gastric perforation.