Fast Life
| Fast Life | ||||
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| Studio album by David Murray | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | DIW / Columbia | |||
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Format (s) |
CD |
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Title (number) |
6th |
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running time |
60:43 |
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| occupation | ||||
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Studio (s) |
Power Station Studios New York City |
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Fast Life is a jazz album by the David Murray Quartet with guest soloist Branford Marsalis . The session, recorded on October 16 and 17, 1992 in New York City , was released in 1993 on the DIW Records label , distributed by Columbia Records .
The album
After his avant-garde early years in projects with Johnny Dyani , Fred Hopkins , Sunny Murray or Lawrence “Butch” Morris , the saxophonist David Murray turned to the jazz tradition in the mid-1980s; After a series of recordings for smaller labels such as Art , India Navigation and Black Saint , he began in 1986 with recordings for the Japanese label DIW in duo, quartet, octet and big band line-ups. By 1996, 26 albums were made for this label.
His quartet production from October 1991 was expanded into a quintet for two tracks. Murray had already recorded Ming's Samba three years earlier with pianist John Hicks , bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Ed Blackwell . Blackwell had still played on the DIW album Death of a Sideman , which was also made in October, but was in very poor health at the time (he died in August 1992). For him, Idris Muhammad came into Murray's rhythm section .
For the first track on the album, Dave Burrell's "Crucificado", Murray brought in tenor saxophonist Branford Marsalis . The dance-like, ten-minute piece begins rather conventionally, only to wind up in joint improvisations by the two tenorists; According to Cook / Morton, it offers Murray and Branford Marsalis an unexpectedly ample space for common ground.
The subsequent calypso “Calle Estrella” is - like its predecessor “Ming's Samba” (on the album of the same name from 1988) - initially based on Sonny Rollins . Idris Muhammad has a solo here.
The twelve-minute title track "Fast Life" is more abstract, starting with a long solo Murray and reminiscent of the free play of his early years with overblowing effects; after a brief collective improvisation with Marsalis, Murray returns to the subject and John Hicks starts his solo. For the remainder of the piece, Ray Drummond and Idris Muhammad have successive opportunities to introduce, until finally Murray ends the piece with a short themed game.
The composition "Luminous", played straight ahead at medium tempo again, comes from John Hick's wife Elise Wood; initially, John Hicks has an extended solo until David Murray joins in with an interpretation of the subject.
This is followed by the catchy ballad "Intuitively" penned by Murray's colleague Dave Burrell . The album ends with a title from the band leader, the "Off Season" based on a simple riff figure. After his extensive solo, John Hicks and Ray Drummond have one more opportunity to introduce themselves as a soloist.
Rating of the album
Authors Richard Cook and Brian Morton gave the album top marks in the Penguin Guide to Jazz, noting that David Murray's October session ended a productive month. Especially the two contributions by Branford Marsalis surprisingly fitted into the conception and execution of Murray's album. The bandleader himself plays as sharp as a shark, keeps moving forward and constantly firing up new ideas at a speed that amazes you in disbelief. Finally, the authors highlight the wrongly underrated drummer Idris Muhammad.
In his review of the album at Allmusic , where the album was only given three stars, Scott Yanow described Fast Life as a mixed bag; David Murray is in top form on two of his straight-ahead pieces, Luminous and Off Season , but the two tracks on which Branford Marsalis was a guest were erratic; with rambling solos by the two tenorists and a lot of aimless energy. This production also includes a Calypso and the feather-light Intuitively .
According to the Los Angeles Times critic , the pieces would reflect the urban pace, especially the frenzied title track. The lingering mix of the two tenor saxophonists is great in its intensity. Fast Life is a wonderfully witty addition to Murray's now extensive catalog. His strong, “talkin'-to-ya” style on the tenor is filled to the brim with unexpected jumps and somersaults; in the company of Ray Drummond, Idris Muhammad and John Hicks he had the best opportunity to present himself; the pianist really lights up with his solo on “Luminous”.
The title of the album
- David Murray Quartet + 1: Fast Life (DIW / Columbia 474711-2)
- Crucificado ( Burrell ) 10:41
- Calle Estrella ( Francis ) - 7:06
- Fast Life (Murray) - 12:04
- Luminous ( Wood ) - 10:31
- Intuitively (Burrell, Larsson ) - 8:57
- Off Season (Murray) - 11:24
- Branford Marsalis can only be heard on tracks 1 and 3.
Cover
The cover photo with the roller shutter paintings is from Murray's wife, Ming Murray.
literature
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .
Web links
- Fast Life at Allmusic (English)
- Kevin Whitehead : A User's Guide to David Murray on DIW: 1986-1997
- Review of Bill Kohlhaase's album in the Los Angeles Times December 3, 1993