David Murray in the studio with BNWT-2021

David Keith Murray (born February 19, 1955) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist and composer who performs mostly on

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

and bass clarinet. He has recorded prolifically for many record labels since the mid-1970s. He lives in New York City.

Biography

Murray was born in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, United States. He attended

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...

for two years as a member of the class of 1977, ultimately receiving an honorary degree in 2012. He was initially influenced by

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during ...

musicians such as

Albert Ayler Albert Ayler (; July 13, 1936 – November 25, 1970) was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer. After early experience playing R&B and bebop, Ayler began recording music during the free jazz era of the 1960s. Howev ...

, Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman and

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

. He gradually evolved a more diverse style in his playing and compositions. Murray set himself apart from most tenor players of his generation by not taking

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

as his model, choosing instead to incorporate elements of mainstream players

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

and Paul Gonsalves into his mature style. Despite this, he recorded a tribute to Coltrane, ''

Octet Plays Trane ''Octet Plays Trane'' is an album by the David Murray Octet, released in 2000 on Justin Time. The musicians include Murray, Rasul Siddik, Hugh Ragin, Craig Harris, James Spaulding, Ravi Best, D. D. Jackson, Mark Johnson and Jaribu Shahid. The ...

'', in 1999. He played a set with the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

at a show on September 22, 1993, at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

in New York City. His 1996 tribute to the Grateful Dead, '' Dark Star'', was also critically well received. Murray was a founding member of the

World Saxophone Quartet The World Saxophone Quartet is an American jazz ensemble founded in 1977, incorporating elements of free jazz, R&B, funk and South African jazz into their music. The original members were Julius Hemphill (alto and soprano saxophone, flute), ...

with

Oliver Lake Oliver Lake (born September 14, 1942) is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, poet, and visual artist. He is known mainly for alto saxophone, but he also performs on soprano and flute. During the 1960s, Lake worked with the Black ...

, Julius Hemphill and

Hamiet Bluiett Hamiet Bluiett (; September 16, 1940 – October 4, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. His primary instrument was the baritone saxophone, and he was considered one of the finest players of this instrument. A mem ...

. He has recorded or performed with musicians such as

Henry Threadgill Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He h ...

James Blood Ulmer James "Blood" Ulmer (born February 8, 1940) is an American jazz, free funk and blues guitarist and singer. Ulmer plays a Gibson Byrdland guitar. His guitar sound has been described as "jagged" and "stinging". His singing has been called "ragg ...

Olu Dara Olu Dara Jones (born Charles Jones III, January 12, 1941) is an American cornetist, guitarist, and singer. He is the father of rapper Nas. Early life Olu Dara was born Charles Jones III on January 12, 1941 in Natchez, Mississippi. His mother, E ...

Tani Tabbal Tani Tabbal is a jazz drummer who has worked with Roscoe Mitchell, David Murray, and Cassandra Wilson. Biography By the age of 14 Tabbal was playing professionally, performing with Oscar Brown Jr. In his teens he also performed with Phil Coh ...

, Butch Morris,

Donal Fox Donal Fox (born ) is an American composer, pianist and improviser in the jazz and classical genres. He was the first African-American composer-in-residence with the St. Louis Symphony (1991–1992). In 1993 he was a visiting artist at Harvard U ...

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Gram ...

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...

, Sunny Murray (no relation),

Ed Blackwell Edward Joseph Blackwell (October 10, 1929 – October 7, 1992) was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive, influential work with Ornette Coleman. Biography Blackwell's early career began in New Orleans ...

Johnny Dyani Johnny Mbizo Dyani (30 November 1945 – 24 October 1986) was a South African jazz double bassist, vocalist and pianist, who, in addition to being a key member of The Blue Notes, played with such international musicians as Don Cherry, Steve L ...

Fred Hopkins Fred Hopkins (October 11, 1947 – January 7, 1999) was an American double bassist who played a major role in the development of the avant-garde jazz movement. He was best known for his association with the trio Air with Henry Threadgill and S ...

, Don Pullen, Randy Weston and Steve McCall. David Murray's use of the

circular breathing Circular breathing is a technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption. It is accomplished by breathing through the nose while simultaneously pushing air through the mouth using air stored ...

technique has enabled him to play astonishingly long phrases.

Awards

* In 1980 David Murray was named ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'' Musician of the Decade. * Murray was honored with the Bird Award in 1986. * He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1989. * David Murray and his band earned a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in 1989 in the Best Jazz Instrumental Group Performance category for '' Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane''. * In 1991 he was honored with the Danish

Jazzpar Prize The Jazzpar Prize (established 1990) was an annual Danish jazz prize founded by trumpeter Arnvid Meyer. The winner was chosen from five nominees among internationally recognized performers. The winner received 200,000 Danish crowns and a bronze stat ...

. * ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

'' named him Musician of the Year in 1993. * He was given an honorary Doctorate Degree in Music, Pomona College in 2012 * He was awarded a legacy grant by the California Arts Council in 2021

Discography

Gallery

File:David Murray Class Struggle 23.jpg File:Closing reception Mildred Howard The House That Will Not Pass for Any Color Than Its Own April 2022.jpg File:David Murray1.jpg File:David Murray 1.jpg File:David Murray IMG 9573.jpg File:Waits-nasheed-mit-david-murray-stadtg-koeln 021014.jpg File:World Saxophone Quartet.jpg

References

External links

*
Unofficial David Murray website

-commentaires de CBS 2007 sur bordeauxsalsa.com

David Murray interview at allaboutjazz.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, David 1955 births Living people Musicians from Oakland, California Jazz musicians from California African-American saxophonists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz clarinetists American jazz composers American male jazz composers Free jazz clarinetists Free jazz saxophonists Avant-garde jazz clarinetists American jazz bass clarinetists Avant-garde jazz saxophonists Post-bop clarinetists Post-bop saxophonists Pomona College alumni Grammy Award winners DIW Records artists Enja Records artists India Navigation artists Red Baron Records artists World Saxophone Quartet members 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century clarinetists 21st-century American male musicians Mingus Dynasty (band) members Justin Time Records artists Motéma Music artists Intakt Records artists 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people