''Ming'' is an album by David Murray released in 1980 on the Italian

Black Saint Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

label and the first to feature his Octet. It features performances by Murray,

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 ...

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, El ...

, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, George E. Lewis, Anthony Davis,

Wilber Morris Wilber Morris (November 27, 1937 - August 8, 2002) was an American jazz double bass player and bandleader. He was the brother of the cornetist, composer, and conductor Butch Morris.Allmusic/ref> Wilber Morris recorded widely, and performed with ...

and Steve McCall.Black Saint catlogue
/ref>

Reception

The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' said, "both ''Ming'' and ''Home'' display an excellent balance between written material and solos by a distinguished group of sidemen". ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...

'' selected this album as part of its suggested Core Collection. The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 5 stars, stating, "His octet was always the perfect setting for tenor saxophonist David Murray, large enough to generate power but not as out of control as many of his big-band performances. Murray contributed all five originals (including "Ming" and "Dewey's Circle") and arrangements, and is in superior form on both tenor and bass clarinet. The "backup crew" is also quite notable: altoist Henry Threadgill, trumpeter Olu Dara, cornetist Butch Morris, trombonist George Lewis, pianist Anthony Davis, bassist Wilbur Morris, and drummer Steve McCall. These avant-garde performances (reissued on CD) are often rhythmic enough to reach a slightly larger audience than usual, and the individuality shown by each of these major players is quite impressive. Recommended.".Yanow, S.
Allmusic Review
accessed July 4, 2011

Track listing

''All compositions by David Murray'' # "The Fast Life" – 8:54 # "The Hill" – 10:39 # "Ming" – 4:28 # "Jasvan" – 8:51 # "Dewey's Circle" – 6:36 * Recorded at Right Track Recording Studios, NYC, July 25 & 28,1980

Personnel

* David Murray – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet *

– alto saxophone *

– trumpet * Lawrence "Butch" Morris – cornet * George E. Lewis – trombone * Anthony Davis – piano *

– bass * Steve McCall – drums

References

{{Authority control 1980 albums David Murray (saxophonist) albums Black Saint/Soul Note albums