David Murray Octet - Murray's Steps

David Murray Octet - Murray's Steps

David Murray - Tenor Sax, Bass Clarinet

Henry Threadgill - Alto Sax, Flute

Bobby Bradford - Trumpet

Lawrence "Butch" Morris - Cornet

Craig Harris - Trombone

Curtis Clark - Piano

Wilber Morris - Bass

Steve McCall - Percussion

1. Murray's Steps

2. Sweet Lovely

3. Sing Song

4. Flowers for Albert

I believe I first heard David Murray on Jack Dejohnette's album Special Edition. I was impressed by how similar his bass clarinet playing was to that of Eric Dolphy. I somehow never checked out David Murray's history until recently. Murray was discussed often in Gary Giddins' book Rythm-a-Ning. The book focussed on Jazz's traditions and innovations in the early 1980's. David Murray was a key figure in 1980's jazz, which, as a jazz "niche," is something I've become interested in (anyone looking for places to read about 1980's jazz should read Ethan Iverson's blog post as well as this article from allmusic.com).

Murray's Steps is a document of David Murray's octet. The album was released in 1983 on the Black Saint label. I have listened to an interview with David Murray which I found somewhere on the internet. In it, he said he focusses his energy on making sure the music he writes fits the ensemble he has. I'm sure he spent a lot of time rearranging his compositions for his octet on this album. The octet is a large band; yet, it is not a big band. By this I mean that Murray did not have a trumpet section, a saxophone section, a trombone section, per se. He did have trumpet and cornet as well as tenor and alto saxophone for his arranging discretion. While listening through this album, it is refreshing to hear how all eight musicians have a clear role in the musical program.

One of the pieces that Murray is well known for is the last song on this album, "Flowers for Albert." This song is generally considered a tribute to Albert Ayler, but I just came across this blog devoted to David Murray that gives a lot of information about the piece as well as about David Murray's career that says otherwise. I enjoy the song for a few reasons. The form is easy enough to follow, the bass part and the harmonies have almost a caribbean feel, and the melody is very smooth. I like how the song starts out with the Craig Harris blowing the bass pattern on his trombone.

If you want to hear a sample of the tune, you can watch David perform the song in 2009 on youtube (with his Black Saint quartet, so the tune has a different feel arranged for the smaller group.)

If anyone ever told you that jazz died anytime before 1983, you must do yourself a favor and seek out The David Murray Octet's Murray's Steps. David Murray has formed many different groups in his career, and I think all of them are high quality, energetic, passionate, and feel good. So if you find yourself in a music store with a David Murray album in your hand, and you wonder if you should purchase it, more than likely, the answer is yes.

p.s. Shout-out to Bullseye records for hooking me up with this record.