Jump to content

David Murray Octets


thedwork

Recommended Posts

image_14279.jpg

anyone heard these Black Saint/Soul Note David Murray Octets: Complete Remastered Recordings discs yet? Murray is hit or miss for me, but i saw him w/ his octet at Union College around the early 80s and i remember the concert blowing me away completely. if the recordings are anywhere near the music of the concert, this looks like a good set to have. and Bradford is on one of the recordings. anyone?

Edited by thedwork
Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks a lot for the responses guys. looks like i'll be getting this. also interesting to see that my take on Murray (hit 'n miss, mostly miss, w/ my octet concert experience being by far my biggest 'hit') is not a minority one...

edit: my 2nd favorite Murray experience was a master class he gave at Harvard w/ Donal Fox. very interesting, and fun!

Edited by thedwork
Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks a lot for the responses guys. looks like i'll be getting this. also interesting to see that my take on Murray (hit 'n miss, mostly miss, w/ my octet concert experience being by far my biggest 'hit') is not a minority one...

edit: my 2nd favorite Murray experience was a master class he gave at Harvard w/ Donal Fox. very interesting, and fun!

I envy your getting to work with Donal Fox - having both these guys in the same workshop must have been great.

btw, I like Murray's Ballads for Bass Clarinet - though, like you, I feel that a lot of his work is a "miss." (Might be partly because he's made so many recordings.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to get the BS box set to investigate more. Only have Murray's Steps and I can't get into it. Something in the arrangements doesn't gel-- it just doesn't sound right to me. I agree with Leeway; I've really liked his small group work that I've heard (a few DIWs, the Hat Hut, Morning Song)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to get the BS box set to investigate more. Only have Murray's Steps and I can't get into it. Something in the arrangements doesn't gel-- it just doesn't sound right to me. I agree with Leeway; I've really liked his small group work that I've heard (a few DIWs, the Hat Hut, Morning Song)

Murray's Steps is perhaps the most straight ahead of the BS octets. I like almost all of Murray's work, He's extremely consistent. I can't think of a poor one but could name quite a few I wouldn't want to be without. I'd start with Flowers For Albert (India Navigation).

One that eluded me is The Peace Church Concert. Love to hear that one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The version of the Octet that I saw for two nights at the Caravan of Dreams in the mid-1980s was rather exciting. It featured Julius Hemphill, Craig Harris, and Bakida Carroll. I recall being surprised that Julius Hemphill had only one leg. His playing was really terrific. Four sets of music by this group was not enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Well worth getting, his octets are so well arranged that at times they sound like a big band.

It's on a different label, but "Octet Plays Trane" is also really good, if more straightahead than the 80s albums.

That one bothers me, I can't really express it, just mentioned it a week or so ago in the "what am I listening to right now" thread:

MI0000273491.jpg

Totally not sure what to make of this one ... it's neither good nor bad in my book, I just don't really get into it ... I somehow find myself disagreeing with the drummer's time, add on that Murray's own absence of swing and it's just somehow weird.

Can't put it much better, I'm afraid ... I just don't fully connect with it, even though parts or it are wonderful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...