eMusic, the online haven for independent music (and the second largest digital music retailer behind iTunes) is now offering saxophonist David Murray’s long out-of-print DIW catalog. Twenty-six of Murray’s recordings for the Japanese label from the ’80s and ’90s will be available for download for the next three months. NPR jazz critic Kevin Whitehead and eMusic jazz columnist has annotated the releases.
Like fellow free tenorist Pharoah Sanders, Murray explored a variety of more conservative styles and formats during this period but retained the vibrato, intensity, stylistic wanderlust and other lessons of out music he learned in his early 20s.
1988’s Lovers, a set of ballads featuring Murray and Hopkins with drummer Ralph Peterson and pianist Dave Burrell-the latter a perfect foil for Murray’s arresting versatility. Murray delivers two gorgeous twilight-hour melodies, one by Ellington (“In a Sentimental Mood”) and one of his own (“Ming”), with the tender, quivering vibrato of his swing-era tenor heroes.
Tracks
1. Teardrops For Jimmy (Dedicated to Jimmy Garrison) (Dave Burrell)
2. Lovers (David Murray)
3. In A Sentimental Mood (Duke Ellington)
4. Ming (David Murray)
5. Water Colors (Ralph Peterson Jr.)
6. Nalungo (For Nalungo Mwanga)
FRED HOPKINS bass
RALPH PETERSON JR. drums
DAVE BURRELL piano
DAVID MURRAY tenor saxophone
Recorded at A&R Recording, New York City in January, 1988
DIW Records DIW - DIW-814