David Murray - Sacred Ground

David Murray has reunited his Black Saint Quartet, sans earthly departed pianist John Hicks, whose shoes are filled by the able Lafayette Gilchrist. Along with Ray Drummond on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums, it's a fantastic lineup that on this album is also aided by the presence of Cassandra Wilson.

Ms. Wilson acts as the album's bookends, performing the opener and closer, singing words penned by the prolific Ishmael Reed. Reed also wrote the liner notes, and admits that upon being asked to write lyrics for Cassandra Wilson, at the ripe age of 68 and in awe of Ms. Wilson, all he could think was Wow! "Like some zit afflicted adolescent" (his words).

Sacred Ground sets a hushed backdrop for Wilson's sensuous vocal stylings. Along with her gorgeous voice, the message is at the forefront: "We've come back to claim our dearest legacy/we've come back to claim our very own/to you they're just a box full of bones/but to us they're our loved ones who shouldn't be left alone."  Reed drew his inspiration for Sacred Ground from a film about the banishment of thousands of American blacks from their homes between 1890 and 1930 in the South and Midwest; the instrumental track 4, Banished, is based upon the same source.

The sensitive balladry accompaniment that floats behind Wilsons lyrics during the verses morphs into a loose, freer mid section of the piece with Murray on bass clarinet. Lafayette Gilchrist is phenomenal on this track and throughout the album; it makes me wonder why his solo efforts haven't clicked more for me, as I've also enjoyed his playing on the other recent David Murray Quartet with strings album that was released a while back. Furthermore, when I saw the Murray Quartet here in Chicago a while back, Gilchrist was a highlight of what I otherwise found to be a quite lackluster show. But I digress....

Wilsons vocals re-enter for a refrain that continues the upward trajectory of the piece, which ultimately coming to a peak before sliding back down to the song's original restrained dynamic, with a final verse by Cassandra. The band really nails the ballad feel and mood, which in a jazz setting is like nothing else in the world for me.

Certainly a bold scene setter for the remainder of the album.

Transitions is a solid piece that typifies what I've come to expect of David Murray (which isn't necessarily a bad thing): a solid instrumental piece with a nice head, and then a form over which Murray blows with his liberal sense of time, phrasing, and singular approach to the horn. Like him or not, as has been said in previous discussions about the merits of David Murray, he has certainly created his own bag on the horn that is instantly identifiable.

This is as good a time as any to mention the fact that I love Andrew Cyrille's drumming. His feel, use of space, and sense of swing all really do it for me and I find myself honing in on his playing throughout the album. He plays an excellent solo in this track that lays bare his sense of melodicism on the drums.

Pierce City is a stand out track on the album, featuring Murray at his best, one of best solos I've heard form him on record; intense playing without sacrificing some dynamic interplay with the ensemble.

Utilizing the Greek mythological Cassandra as an inspiration for the lyrics, Ishmael Reed wrote the final track, The Prophet of Doom, which features Ms. Wilson singing over a straight blues form. It's a laid back feel that even features some finger snapping as Cassandra sings about her mythological namesake.

I think this is a great modern jazz album. It's not revolutionary in terms of innovation, but it's a fantastic recording in the idiom that has a strong message to go along with the great playing by the whole band. It will get a lot more mileage in my collection than Murray's previous release, Waltz Again, which was perhaps more novel but to my ears lacked some essential element that fuels longevity in listening.

David Murray on MySpace has some tracks up for your previewing pleasure, and there are two videos up on YouTube that show David Murray and Cassandra Wilson in the studio, here and here.