World Saxophone Quartet - Political Blues (2006)

2017-12-28T14:01:28Z

World Saxophone Quartet - Political Blues (2006)


1.Political Blues 
2.Hal's Blues
3.Mannish Boy
4.Let's Have Some Fun
5.Amazin' Disgrace
6.Bluocracy Pt. I
7.Bluocracy Pt. II
8.Bluocracy Pt. III
9.Blue Diamond
10.Harlem
11.Spy On Me Blues.

Carolyn Amba Hawthorne - Vocals
Craig Harris - Vocals, Trombone, Didgeridoo
David Murray - Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Bass Clarinet 
Oliver Lake - Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano), Vocals
Jeremy Pelt - Trumpet
Lee Pearson - Drums
Hervé Samb - Guitar
Jaleel Shaw - Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)
Jamaaladeen Tacuma - Bass (Electric), Composer, Producer
James Blood Ulmer - Guitar, Vocals
Bruce Williams - Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)

World Saxophone Quartet has built a large, impressive and diverse catalog that ranges from the extreme to the relatively accessible. Political Blues falls into the relatively accessible category, but for WSQ's 2006 lineup (Oliver Lake on alto and soprano sax, Bruce Williams on alto and soprano sax, Hamiet Bluiett on baritone sax and David Murray on tenor sax and bass clarinet), relatively accessible doesn't mean unchallenging. In fact, the songs that have lyrics pack a strong sociopolitical punch. The title track (which features Murray on lead vocals) expresses the group's disdain for the administration of President George W. Bush, and "Spy on Me Blues" (with Lake on vocals) is a biting yet humorous commentary on Bush's embarrassing performance during the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans in 2005. But Political Blues isn't strictly an album of protest lyrics; many of the tracks are instrumentals, including Lake's funky "Let's Have Some Fun," Murray's somewhat Ellingtonian "Hal's Blues" and Craig Harris' dusky "Harlem." While some WSQ recordings have favored a saxophone-only policy -- no bass, no drums, no guitar, no brass instruments -- this January 2006 session features several non-sax playing guests. Among them: trombonist Harris, electric bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma, drummer Lee Pearson, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and guitarist James Blood Ulmer (who is featured as a singer on a spirited performance of Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy"). Political Blues' mixture of jazz, blues and funk is mildly avant-garde, but it isn't radically avant-garde -- and those who have admired WSQ's spirit of adventure will be happy to know that the saxophonists are still taking chances even at their most accessible. ---Alex Henderson, AllMusic Review

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World Saxophone Quartet Plays Jimi Hendrix 2005

2015-11-01T17:55:35Z

World Saxophone Quartet Plays Jimi Hendrix 2005


01 - Hattie Wall (WSQ Theme Tune) 	05.59
02 - Band introduction 	01.40
03 - Freedom 	07.30
04 - Hey Joe 	10.21 
05 - The Wind Cries Mary	 12.40
06 - If 6 Were 9 	07.28
07 - Foxy Lady 	04.35 
08 - Little Wing 		08.06
09 - Machine Gun	 16.05
10 - Hattie Wall [reprise]	 02.17

David Murray - tenor sax
Oliver Lake - alto
Hamiet Bluiett - baritone
Bruce Williams - alto
+
Craig Harris - trombone
Jamaaladeen Tacuma - bass
Lee Pearson – drums

London Jazz Festival, Barbican Hall, London
Recorded: November 14th, 2005
Re-broadcast: August 25th, 2006

In jazz circles, there is a joke that goes like this: how many jazz singers does it take to perform "My Funny Valentine?" All of them. The point of that joke is that too many jazz artists are paying too much attention to overdone Tin Pan Alley warhorses that have long since been beaten to death. The joke is unfair in that it singles out vocalists -- numerous instrumentalists are guilty of the same thing -- but the fact remains that plenty of jazz artists need to realize that worthwhile popular music didn't end with Tin Pan Alley. Of course, not all improvisers are that shortsighted, which is why explorers ranging from Herbie Hancock to the Bad Plus to British singer Claire Martin have been finding the jazz possibilities in rock and R&B songs -- and it's why the World Saxophone Quartet pays tribute to Jimi Hendrix on Experience. This 2003 date isn't the first instrumental jazz release to focus on Hendrix's compositions; bandleader/arranger Gil Evans recorded an entire album of Hendrix gems in 1974. But Experience is the first Hendrix tribute by an avant-garde saxophone group, and the WSQ's 2003 lineup (David Murray, Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake, and Bruce Williams) brings an inside/outside perspective to classics like "Foxey Lady," "If 6 Was 9," "The Wind Cries Mary," and "Little Wing." the WSQ's lively, intriguing arrangements are as funky as they are abstract, and the foursome (which is joined by trombonist Craig Harris, violinist Billy Bang, bassist Matthew Garrison, and drummer Gene Lake) has no problem demonstrating that hard rock, heavy metal, and psychedelic rock songs can be successfully reinvented as instrumental jazz. Some die-hard Hendrix lovers might nitpick about the absence of their personal favorites -- perhaps "Purple Haze," perhaps "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" or "Castles Made of Sand"; regardless, Experience is an excellent CD that finds the WSQ still going strong 26 years after its formation. --- Alex Henderson, Rovi

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