{"id":8484,"date":"2024-05-19T21:31:59","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T02:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=8484"},"modified":"2024-05-19T21:46:12","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T02:46:12","slug":"david-murray-francesca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/david-murray-francesca\/","title":{"rendered":"Pass Everything in My Soul: A Conversation with David Murray on ‘Francesca’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The love song is one of the oldest and most primal forms of musical expression, dating back to ancient Greece, if not earlier. Charles Darwin even theorized that the love song was the first form of human musical expression. Of course, the emphasis on romance in songs has continued to the present day. It is easy to label David Murray\u2019s quartet album dedicated to his wife, Francesca<\/em> (Intakt, 2024), as yet another in this long lineage. But that is only part of the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make no mistake, the tenor saxophonist\/bass clarinetist unequivocally expresses his deep feelings for his spouse on both the album and in our conversation. But it is only one of his two loves on the album. The other is his adoration of the history and development of jazz music. Surrounding himself with young artists – pianist Marta Sanchez, bassist Luke Stewart, and drummer Russell Carter – well-versed in the avant-garde, it is natural to expect Francesca<\/em> to be a free affair. Intakt’s notoriety for experimental recordings would add further credence to this presumption. So would Murray’s long history of crafting creative music. He emerged from the New York loft scene of the 1970s with Flowers for Albert<\/em> (Valley of Search, 1977), an album dedicated to Albert Ayler. Murray was also one of the four legs of the World Saxophone Quartet, an extension of the Black Artists’ Group, St. Louis’ answer to the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). But a decades-long collaboration with Kahil El’Zabar and works with Henry Threadgill, Fred Hopkins, and Steve McCall also tie him to the Chicago powerhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, however, Francesca<\/em> is a little more accessible. It is an album more indebted to Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon than Eric Dolphy or Pharaoh Sanders. The record does not ignore avant-garde music – Murray’s solo on “Come and Go” comes to mind – but, overall, it is a thoroughly melodic outing. Its eight tracks exude warmth and passion. As Francesca<\/em> extracts ideas from the music’s past, it also avoids being mired in prior greatness; Francesca<\/em> sounds thoroughly modern even as its roots are evident. It also digs into jazz’s own core by infusing ideas from gospel, Afro-Caribbean music, and more. The album is a clear statement on the continued vibrancy of the Great American art form. As a result, the group is invigorating – to the point that it seems to capture the energy of a live recording even though it was all captured in the studio. With an upcoming run at the historic Village Vanguard, a lucky few will get to experience the magic live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PostGenre: Before getting into your new quartet, you have also been playing somewhat frequently with Kahil El-Zabar<\/a>. How did you first meet him?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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David Murray: Kahil and I met in 1975 on a basketball court in the South side of Chicago. I was staying at Don Moye\u2019s House, whom I had met out in California. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had just moved to New York and went back to California to do a concert. On the way back, I drove up to Iowa with a friend of mine tbecause he had a saxophone for me, which I ended up selling to Jimmy Lyons. I brought the horn with me to Chicago. And then from Chicago, I flew back to New York. I had gotten a new apartment in New York and was ready to live there for a while.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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