David McMurray

David Keith "Dave" McMurray (* 1958 in Detroit ) is an American jazz musician ( soprano , alto and tenor saxophone ) who has become known to a larger audience primarily as a member of Was (Not Was) and as a session musician.

Act

McMurray first came out with the first album of Was (Not Was) (1981). With the Detroit avant-garde jazz band Griot Galaxy , he released the album Kin in 1982 . He performed in Europe in Geri Allen's band in the 1980s and toured North America with Was (Not Was) , Chuck Loeb and Bob James ( Joy Ride ).

As a session musician, he supported Bob Dylan ( Under the Red Sky , 1990) and the Rolling Stones (on Voodoo Lounge , 1994) as well as Iggy Pop , Nancy Wilson , Patti Smith , Cheb Khaled and Freddie Jackson . From the mid-1990s, he presented several albums under his own name, which are attributed to smooth jazz . He can also be heard on albums by Gladys Knight , Bonnie Raitt and Bootsy Collins ; In 2012 he appeared as a sideman on Geri Allen's album Grand River Crossings . He is the musical director of Motown artist KEM .

In 2017, producer Don Was brought him to the Blue Note Records label and gave him a free hand in recording the album Music Is Life , made with the Detroit 3 , bassist Ibrahim Jones and alternating drummers Jeff Canady and Ron Otis. In doing so, he paid tribute to the musical heritage of his hometown.

Discographic notes

• The David McMurray Show (Warner Brothers 1996)
• Peace of Mind (Hip Hop Records 1999, with Ray Mitchels, Bob James, Mark Whitfield , Don Was, Wayne Gerard, Darrell Peanut Smith and others)
• Soul Searching (Hip Hop Records 2001)
• Nu Life Stories (Hip Hop Records 2003)
• Music Is Life (Blue Note 2018)

Web links

• Portrait ( All About Jazz )
• Brief portrait (smooth-jazz.de)
• David McMurray at Allmusic (English)
• David McMurray at Discogs (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Short biography
2. ↑ Dave McMurray: Music is life as well as discussion (down beat)