Wall of Sound

Wilber Morris / David Murray / Dennis Charles: Wilber Force 　　　　
DIW 809

Wilber Morris (b)
David Murray (ts 1-4 6,bcl 5)
Dennis Charles (d)

1. Randy (Wilver Morris) 12:55
2. P.C.O.P. #1 (Wilver Morris) 10:00
3. Miss Mack (Wilver Morris) 9:05
4. West Indian Folk Song (Dennis Charles) 8:40
5. Afro-Amer. Ind (Wilver Morris) 10:20
6. P.C.O.P. #2 (Wilver Morris) 11:35 　

Recorded live at February 6, 1983 at Kwame, NYC

This seems to be the second recording for Wilber Morris’ sometime bass-drums-sax trio. This one features the young (but long-time Morris associate) David Murray, and recent partner in rhythm (but fixture of the New York scene) Dennis Charles. Morris and Murray were both part of the tide of West Coast musicians setting up in New York in the mid 1970s to play in the loft scene, while Charles had been the powerhouse behind some of the key experimental musicians of New York’s avant guard since the early 1950s.

I bought this as part of my obsessive David Murray collecting, but it is now far from a completists addition. The bassist is clearly the leader here, composing all the themes with short names ( West Indian Folk Song is Charles’), and giving all the numbers their drive and shape. Murray is particularly effective in a trio, and the Morris themes seem to push him to some very different performances. Although I tend to think Murray can do no wrong, even I’d have to admit that he hardly ever subsumes himself into the setting he finds himself. In ‘Afro-Amer.Ind’, though, features his plaintive bass clarinet weaving through Morris’ bass figures and Charles’ choppy cymbal work. A bass and vocal chant leads to a long Murray solo, subsides into a bass solo with a intermittent gentle tap and brushed backing from Charles, before Murray and Charles burst back in stretch to the end. Meditative is probably the adjective. By contrast Charles’ jolly theme suits Murray well, and brings out a strong tight drums and bass performance.

‘Miss Mack’ is more subdued sax and Charles’ lovely drum textures. This one repays repeated listening. It’s remarkable how much is going on amongst the three musicians. The longest track, ‘Randy’, has one of those quirky rhythm-melody themes, and some constant changes of pace driven by bass and drum with Murray holding on for dear life! He does get to squeal a little here, though. there are two ‘PCOP’s, though I’m not clear what they are. A lovely theme set out by sax and bass with cracking physical playing from Charles. There’s a lot of unfocused meandering, but journey’s don’t have to be purposeful if there’s lots to hear on the way, and here the textures are just wonderful. This really is music for the moment that allows you to forget where you’ve come from, and care little about where your heading.

As far as I am aware this was the first time Murray was on a DIW recording, and a decade later this was going to be his main channel for releases. There’s a pattern in Murray’s history where he records as a sideman for a project and seems to establish a relationship that blossoms into a recording contract later on. This was also a bit of a return to small group recordings after septet and octet experiments (usually featuring Morris and his younger brother, Butch) interspersed with quartet recordings.

Along with Collective Improvisations (featuring Denis Charles and saxophonist Charles Tyler for Bleu Regard in 1981) this is an enjoyable record in its own terms, and a key point in Murray’s career that isn’t that well known.

David Murray Flowers For Albert
India Navigation IN 1026
Recorded live on June 26 1976 at Ladies’ Fort, NYC

David Murray (ts)
Olu Dara (tp)
Fred Hopkins (b)
Phillip Wilson (d)

CD1
1. Flowers For Albert (Murray) (14:18)
2. Santa Barbara and Crenshaw Follies (Murray) (15:53)*
3. Joanne’s Satin Green Dress (Lawrence “Butch” Morris) (12:56)
4. After All This (Murray) (13:59)*

CD2
1. Roscoe (Murray) (9:05)
2. The Hill (Murray) (17:55)*
3. Ballad For A Decomposed Beauty (Murray) (9:18)

* not on original LP.

The original vinyl record released under this title was made up of parts of a live concert by Murray’s then quartet in one of New York’s famous 70s Jazz lofts, the Ladies’ Fort.

I’d been totally immersed in Murray’s 1980 work before I tracked a copy of this earlier recording down, and I can still remember being completely thrown. It is quite remarkable how mature all aspect of the record is. His compositions are some of the most notable of the 1970s, his playing is superb, and the group with then regular collaborators Dara, Hopkins and Wilson is one of the best of this period of jazz for my money. There’s a small, but very enthusiastic audience, and I try to visualise while listening what it must have been like to sit in a large post-industrial New York space and hear this music for the first time. It still makes the hairs on the back of my neck bristle today; how it must have felt to be there watching as well as listening I can only imagine.

The recording is significant for its music, its place in jazz history, and the way it has been used to interpret Murray. Here’s a few thoughts on all that:

There are ten versions of ‘Flowers for Albert’ to be listened to on Murray recordings. This was the first time it was recorded. Most bibliographies note that the title track is named after Albert Ayler, and then infer this as evidence that Murray is an Ayler disciple. The fact that Murray played some of his first New York gigs with his near namesake drummer Sunny Murray – who had been the powerhouse of Ayler’s 1964-5 recordings that included the mighty Spiritual Unity – must have made Murray very aware of Ayler. There are also some undoubted comparisons to be made. The obvious one, most often made, is that both men manipulate the saxophone in a manner that pushes it outside its ‘normal’ musical uses. Murray clearly shares Ayler’s early interest in pushing the mechanics of the instrument to do things few other players realised, or even imagined. Less often noted is the strong roots in, and exploration of, gospel music. Or more specifically the aspects of gospel that relate to the emotional power and ecstatic nature of gospel within African American music.

However, there are far more interesting things at play here. As the title suggests, and as Murray has confirmed in interviews, the flowers are to be left in memorial of Ayler’s death. The melody captures this perfectly. This version start with a Murray solo which tantalises us with fragments of the melody for a good minute before playing it through in its entirety. This is a simple and catchy line, and this interest in song-like melodies is probably the strongest characteristic of all Murray’s work. In interviews Murray tells us that the striking melodic line came into his head as he walked past the place on the bank of the East River where Ayler’s body was found. So, while other commentators make the link to Ayler playing in life as Murray’s major stylistic influence, we should perhaps see the sadness at his death as a catalyst for one example of Murray’s ability to articulate deep emotional responses through musical sound. I’ve several posts on this issue here if you’re interested.

The CD version I write about here is expanded from the original vinyl release (the other Murray India Navigation CD re-releases usually cut tracks or performance lengths). This allows us to listen to previously unreleased versions of ‘Santa Barbara And Crenshaw Follies’ and ‘The Hill’ which he was to record again later in his career, and ‘After All This’ which doesn’t seem to have been repeated. The twisted melody of ‘Follies’ precedes a great Murray solo set against marvelous Hopkins bass and Wilson’s skipping drum work and off-kilter punctuation from Dara. It’s a great example of Murray’s earlier interest in hyper-emotional playing around single fragments of the lovely melodies he wrote. Dara seems to understand the process brilliantly, and they pass the solo opportunity on like the baton in a relay. Murray recorded the Hill four times, and on each occasion he produces an epic piece of over 10 minutes. here its longer still at over 17 minutes. The dynamic of future recordings is here from the beginning, but it doesn’t yet have the majesty it would on Ming four years later.

I love ‘Joanne’s Green Satin Dress’ which has a great two horn theme and some beautiful playing from both Dara and Murray. Dara was later to be quite disparaging about the music he played during this time, as well as critical of players in the New York loft scene. You couldn’t tell that he was anything but delighted to be playing in this context on this track; and on the rest of the LP. ‘Roscoe’ meanders, but is sustained by a strong individual performance from Murray. It’s more like a sax solo with percussion sprinkles. ‘Ballad For A Decomposed Beauty’ is one of the strongest titled pieces Murray recorded, and the sense of decay and melancholy is apparent in the melody and the playing, especially from Murray and Hopkins on bowed bass.

By the way, don’t confuse this recording with the 1990 CD released by West Wind records of David Murray and the Low Class Conspiracy Flowers for Albert.

There’s a full discography of India Navigation records for you to peruse.

Clarinet Summit
In Concert at the Public Theater Vol. I/II
India Navigation 1062CD 1991

compiles both volumes released on vinyl as:
India Navigation 1062 (LP – 1984)
India Navigation 1067 (LP – 1985)

Recorded live in Spring 1981 at the Public Theatre, NY

Alvin Batiste (B flat clarinet),
John Carter (B flat clarinet),
Jimmy Hamilton (B flat clarinet),
David Murray (bass clarinet)

1.Introduction
2. Groovin’ High 2:33
3. The Jeep’s Blues 5:14
4. Mood Indigo (Duke Ellington) 2:06
5. Night Mist Blue (Jimmy Hamilton) 2:06
6. Waltz A Minute (Jimmy Hamilton) 1:11
7. Creole Love Call (Duke Ellington) 2:58
8. Honeysuckle Rose 7:48
9. Sweet Lovely (Murray) 5:59
10. Sticks and Bones 6:40
11. Solo and Ballad for Four Clarinets (John Carter) 12:45
12. The Washington Square Park Episode 6:52
13. Clariflavours (Alvin Batiste) 16:28

also on the vol. II LP (and not on the CD, or this post) ‘Satin Doll’ (Duke Ellington) 2:40

This is an interesting record where David Murray is a key member of an ensemble, rather than a leader. It comes from fairly early in his career, and represents one of his earliest substantial outings playing bass clarinet. The band is pretty much a clarinet version of the saxophone quartets which were in vogue in the 1980s. Led by John Carter, and featuring Ellington alumnus Jimmy Hamilton, in/out player Alvin Batiste, and Murray who had only taken up bass clarinet few years before.

The programme is an interesting mixture of original compositions from the group members and Ellington originals. The CD features sleeve notes by Stanley Crouch (doing a bit of historical contextualisation) and John Carter (explaining how the date came about). Crouch emphasises the New Orleans origins of jazz clarinet, evoking Bechet and Barney Bigard as precursors, and rightly says that the music chosen owes much to the success of the performances. Honeysuckle Rose highlights Batiste and Hamilton, and Murray solos on his own Sweet Lovely. The lengthier tracks show John Carter’s writing and arranging off to great effect, and are excellent examples of why I rate him as one of the master’s of jazz.

Given the long careers of the other three, the much younger Murray acquits himself superbly, and without any hesitation. The group practiced for three days before, but they sound completely at ease with each other. This inter-generational approach was to be a common feature of Murray’s later bands.

The recording stands up well after over 25 years, and it is one of the reasons India Navigation was such a collectable label. You’ll find a full discographic listing of the label at http://indianavigation.blogspot.com/

Kahil El’Zabar with David Murray Golden Sea

Sound Aspects Records 027
Recorded January 28,1989 in Chicago

Kahil El’zabar (traps, earth d, ashiko d, mbira, sanza, ankle bells, vc)
David Murray (ts, bcl)

1. Golden Sea (Kahil El’Zabar) 10:50
2. Dreams (Kahil El’Zabar) 5:55
3. Sunrise Serenade (Kahil El’Zabar) 7:55
4. Sweet Meat (Kahil El’Zabar) 7:40
5. All Blues (Miles Davis) 10:10
6. Song For A New South Africa (David Murray) 4:45

Kahil El’Zabar and David Murray seem to bring out something special in each other. They’ve been consistent collaborators: El’zabar has been in a couple of Murray’s quartets (including the excellent, but hard to find, People’s Choice) and a couple of Octets; while Murray’s been on four duo albums under El’zabar’s name. All the duo recordings are worth owning, but this (for me) is the strongest. It’s also sadly the hardest to get hold of; and I’m not sure it even got a CD release.

El’Zabar and Murray share an interest in Afro-centric music and pan-African culture, and this is apparent in much of the music here. The very title of Murray’s ‘Song For A New South Africa’ is an index of this. However, the orientation is surprisingly best achieved on their interpretation of Miles Davis’ ‘All Blues’. Murray is at his plaintive best on Bass Clarinet, while El’Zabar plays the Mbira or Sanza (which the LP lists as separate instruments, but which I’ve always understood them to be two names for the same Shona ‘thumb piano’ instrument). The track reaches its peak with Murray playing and El’Zabar singing. This is, perhaps, my favorite piece of Murray Bass Clarinet ‘ballad’ playing. He seems to take a perverse pleasure in playing a bass instrument beyond its usual highest frequencies, and draws upon the textures of gospel playing to create a sound I find deeply affecting. A haunting and beautifully-realised cultural and musical fusion. ‘Sunrise Serenade’ features El’Zabar alone on Mbira/Sanza with ankle bells and a wordless vocal and rhythmic chants. It’s one of the best tracks on the LP for me, though some may find it a step too far beyond jazz sensibilities.

Each track has a distinctive texture, achieved most often by El’Zabar’s use of different percussion instruments (Murray has never made major changes to playing style across his whole career, let alone an LP). ‘Dreams’ features a hand drum (I’m guessing it’s the Ashiko drum) and a more meditative and gentler start for Murray on tenor before his characteristic gospel-rich style kicks in. I’m also speculating when I say this sounds like a total improvisation from Murray; a notion backed up by the fact that none of the pieces credited to El’Zabar have strong melodies (a Murray characteristic). I think the balance (on this track and the whole LP) works very well overall, though, giving a sax and percussion duo album a lot of variety. For Sweet Meat El’Zabar plays conventional jazz traps with lots of cymbal ride and rhythmic work on the tuned drums while Murray’s ecstatic tenor runs build in intensity. This is possibly the most conventional duo piece, but executed with panache. Song For A New South Africa features a poly-rhythmic hand drum and ankle bells textual bed, and a fairly straight-forward rendering of the strong melody riff by Murray. They clearly liked this number because the duo repeated the piece on record three years later on A Sanctuary Within, and thirteen years later on Love Outside Of Dreams with very similar, if slightly more complex renderings.

1989 was a classic year for Murray, and his work made available in that twelve moths is remarkably wide. Albums released in that year included a James Brown-tribute funk project (Cold Sweat), a challenging piano-sax duo with Dave Burrell (Daybreak), an attempt at the jazz mainstream through the Columbia-released Ming’s Samba, four other jazz quartet albums under different group names and for different labels (I Want To Talk About You, Last Of The Hipmen, Lucky Four, The Fo’tet), and a WSQ collection of soul and funk covers (Rhythm and Blues). This one fits in the eclectic moment comfortably.