eMusic Review 0
Don't look now, but David Murray is assembling one of the most impressive discographies in all of jazz history. Stupendous in its breadth — this is about the 86th release under his own name, and adding in just the World Saxophone Quartet would push him over 100. Murray's career has suffered precious few fallow phases, and Sacred Ground furthers an especially creative gush that began at the turn of the century.
These seven songs are an extension of the soundtrack Murray wrote for Banished, a film about the forcible removal of blacks from their own land in Midwestern towns in the half century after the Civil War. On the middle five, the Black Saint Quartet again stake their claim as perhaps Murray's best-ever working ensemble. Stentorian bassist Ray Drummond has a reputation for straight-ahead excellence with his signature thunk, while drummer Andrew Cyrille has impeccable avant garde credentials from his time with Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton and others. Both are equally comfortable playing “in the pocket” or wild and woolly, making for a near-invincible rhythm section. Pianist Lafayette Gilchrist doesn't flinch from the daunting task of taking over the stool once occupied by the late … read more »
