Ming's Samba
Occupation
- Tenor saxophone, bass clarinet: David Murray
- Piano: John Hicks
- Bass: Ray Drummond
- Drums: Ed Blackwell
Ming's Samba is a jazz album by David Murray Quartet. The images produced in New York City by Bob Thiele on 20 July 1988 published in 1989 the label Portrait, a sub-label of Columbia Records.
The album
After his debut concert in New York with Mark Dresser and Stanley Crouch in 1975und a whole series of albums that David Murray since the late 1970s for smaller labels like has way India Navigation, Black Saint, DIW or had recorded, received the then 33 -year-old tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist for his album Ming's Samba for the first time the opportunity to take on a bigger label. At the beginning of 1988, Murray had recorded with his working band from Dave Burrell, Fred Hopkins and Ralph Peterson Jr for DIW a cycle of four Thememalben; Lovers, tenor, Ballads and Spirituals. Even the DIW four albums showed by its avant-garde early years of David Murray's consistent turn to a more jazz tradition applicable Community Game entertainment since the mid- 1980s.
For the portrait session Murray worked with old familiar musicians; with pianist John Hicks, bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Ed Blackwell, he already had the Black Saint album I Want to Talk About You was added in 1986. Ming's Samba will be opened by the calypso -like title track " Ming's Samba"; The quartet played it in a boisterous carnival -like South of the Border mood and gives the title with a vibrato barrelhouse atmosphere, so Carlos Figuera in the liner notes. Here Murray merges free Afro- Caribbean sounds with blues, gospel and free jazz overtones.
The subsequent " rememberin ' Fats" is dedicated to the memory of Fats Waller; the mid-tempo number is to the good-humored mood - if not, as Scott Yanow style Wallers - reflect that of the legendary swing pianist with titles like " The Joint is Jumping ", " Hold Tight " or "Viper 's Drag " at its Saturday night shows widespread. John Hicks has an opportunity here for an extended solo in the funky Bluesidiom. The ballad " Nowhere Everafter " contributed his longtime musical partner Lawrence " Butch" Morris, a classic example of David Murray's by Paul Gonsalves and Ben Webster -influenced ballads game. The saxophonist is in the short piece of this ecstatic and emotional in the highest register of his instrument. Especially the slow pieces in his repertoire this phase are the ones in which he brings deep feeling and reveal all its power and flexibility. " Spooning " is " a dark, elegant and moving tango, showing the romantic side of David Murray, " wrote Carlos Figuara, " was here voice is fiery with lust and passion ." He learns a secure support here especially by Ed Blackwell, incites Murray march -like. The last track of the album, " Walter 's Waltz " devoted Murray, who moved here for bass clarinet, to the memory of his father, Walter P. Murray; in the middle part pianist John Hicks and bassist Ray Drummond have two long solos; it ends with a coda.
Reception Album
In his review of the album at Allmusic, which characterized the album with the second highest score, said Scott Yanow, Murray play "in the tradition " of the classic quartet line-up. Yanow particularly mentions " Nowhere Ever After "; it was a " warm, breathy ballad". The solo is reminiscent in style of the tenor saxophonist John Klemmer. Furthermore, the author mentions the Tango " Spooning "; the ( expected ) impact of the bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy show in " Walter 's Waltz ", although Dolphy never played with pop noise ( slap- tongued ). Pianist John Hicks had some brilliant solos in the complex material, Drummond was excellent in support of Murray (as in " Walter 's Waltz " to hear ) in this session and the dazzling acting Ed Blackwell is proving to be a perfect counterpart for the Leader. The album was recommended, although it is probably very hard to find.
Scott Albin of Jazz.com rated Ming's Samba with 95 (of a possible 100 ) points; he praises the fact that no restrictions entertaining album show in the thirteenth year of David Murray's recording career and his rounded well-established ability to merge different styles like hard bop and free jazz with gospel, R & B and funk roots of his youth. Albin raises particularly the calypso title track produced in the Murray " einherstolziere with a rhythmic security and a relentless creative force impulse show he remember Sonny Rollins ' calypso attacks ". Right here is Murray's tone closer to Rollins ' than usual His long solo, at times dense and nested, was highly entertaining; he was playing with screams and shrieks in the highest registers and overblowing, but otherwise stay in a more traditional, relatively restrained straight -ahead style of play in this set. The album could therefore only disappoint those listeners who expect a rather reckless gambling Murray; while all the others who have never so unpretentiously hear him play, will be pleasantly surprised.
The title of the album
- David Murray: Ming's Samba ( Portrait RK 44432 )