''The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony'' is a seven-disc box set album of music by saxophonist and composer
Julius Hemphill
Julius Arthur Hemphill (January 24, 1938 – April 2, 1995) was a jazz composer and saxophone player. He performed mainly on alto saxophone, less often on soprano and tenor saxophones and flute.
Biography
Hemphill was born in Fort Worth, Texas, ...
. Drawn from previously unissued recordings found in the Julius Hemphill Archive at the
Fales Library
New York University's Fales Library and Special Collections is located on the third floor of the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library at 70 Washington Square South (off of Washington Square Park) between LaGuardia Place and the Schwartz Plaza, in the Greenwi ...
of
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
, and compiled by
Marty Ehrlich
Marty Ehrlich (born May 31, 1955) is a multi-instrumentalist (saxophones, clarinets, flutes) and is considered one of the leading figures in avant-garde jazz.
Biography
Though born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the portion of Ehrlich's youth spent in ...
, the album presents Hemphill in a variety of mostly live solo and group contexts recorded over a period of thirty years, beginning in 1977, and also includes a disc on which he conducts his compositions. The album was released on CD by
New World Records
New World Records is a record label that was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to celebrate America's bicentennial (1976) by producing a 100-LP anthology, with American music from many genres.
All About Jazz
''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...
'' called the album an "important document," and wrote: "The music leaves you convinced... that Julius Hemphill deserves his place among the greatest musical minds of the 20th century."
''
DownBeat
''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...
s
Peter Margasak
Peter Margasak is a music critic, journalist, and artistic director of the annual Frequency Festival in Chicago, an event that grew out of his longstanding work programming the weekly Frequency Series for experimental, improvised, and contempora ...
stated that the album "goes a long way in filling out the complex story of this multifaceted artist whose breadth and vision were seriously short-changed by the recording industry," and praised the "astonishing small-group work" heard on many of the tracks.
Writer Richard Williams described the album as "an extraordinarily rich piece of musical archaeology which covers many aspects of Hemphill's art at satisfying length," and commented: "Throughout the listener is struck by how effectively Hemphill was able to blend free blowing with structured composition. Some of his themes have the intensity of bebop leavened with the humour of Monk, but with a down-home flavour that was Hemphill's own. Whether on alto or soprano, he was a stunningly fluent improviser who took off from a space between Charlie Parker and Ornette Coleman and headed out into his own territory."
In a review for ''
NPR Music
NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...
'',
Kevin Whitehead
Kevin Francis Whitehead (born April 27, 1952) is an American jazz critic and author.
Biography
Born in New York City, Whitehead studied at Oswego State University in New York, then earned a Masters in American Literature and Culture at Syracuse ...
stated that the album is "sprawling, a little uneven and with variable sound quality," and therefore not "an ideal introduction to Julius Hemphill's music." However, he suggested that because "Hemphill was one of the key jazz composers of the late 20th century," "his music should be part of any informed listener's jazz education."
Seymour Wright of ''
The Wire
''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...
'' noted that the album "offers a fresh view and... insight into emphill'soeuvre," and remarked: "Hemphill's music sounds fantastic. Beautiful, often see-sawing, compositions draw together, and stack and balance, long meaningful lines that can flip from horizontal to vertical, from flat out to a full stop, and back. Solid, and often slow, rhythms work up and build open, multilayered spaces for solo dialogue and exchange. And crucially, the groups Hemphill assembled to play his music involve utterly distinct, and now definitive, instrumental voices."
Writing for ''Point of Departure'', Bill Shoemaker commented: "Throughout his life and for years after, there was the sense that we had only seen the tip of the iceberg, that there was so much more to Hemphill's music that went unheard. This revealing, richly rewarding collection confirms this... Hemphill was singular, as ''The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony'' makes plain. The rub remains that he had so much more music to make than his time allowed. Yet, the half glass Hemphill left is to be cherished, especially now, 25 years after his passing."
''The Free Jazz Collectives Gary Chapin stated that the album "fills a real need," and wrote: "Like other greats of this music, Hemphill's genius included finding partners who could see the connection between interpretation and great improvisational voice. Both Bakida (sic) Carroll and Olu Dara, just for two examples are essential voices in Hemphill's work. No one else could add to the pieces in the way that they did."
In an article for ''Dusted Magazine'', Michael Rosenstein remarked: "Hemphill's discography was never extensive, and most of what he put out is now out of print. Which makes this expansive boxed set... invaluable... Any of these discs, taken separately, would be a welcome addition to Hemphill's discography. Taken together, they provide a wide-ranging, illuminating view even to those who've long immersed themselves in his music."
Seth Colter Walls of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' noted that the album "showcases Julius Hemphill's work as a composer, saxophonist and flutist on the boundary between jazz and classical styles," and stated that the variety of music "show how thoroughly he adapted and reinvigorated" his early influences.
Disc 1 - The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony I
;Track listing
# "Dear Friend" – 17:37
# "Zuli" – 18:21
# "Band Introduction" – 0:44
# "At Harmony" – 12:31
# "Air Rings" – 12:32
# "Dimples: Fat Lady on Parade" – 12:34
*Tracks 1–4 were recorded in Toulouse, France, on December 6, 1980. Track 5 was recorded at DC Space in Washington, DC, on November 23, 1979. Track 6 was recorded at Century City Playhouse in Los Angeles on May 29, 1978.
;Personnel
;Tracks 1–4 - The Julius Hemphill Quartet
*
Julius Hemphill
Julius Arthur Hemphill (January 24, 1938 – April 2, 1995) was a jazz composer and saxophone player. He performed mainly on alto saxophone, less often on soprano and tenor saxophones and flute.
Biography
Hemphill was born in Fort Worth, Texas, ...
– alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
*
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, Natchez, Mis ...
– trumpet
* Abdul Wadud – cello
* Warren Smith – drums
;Track 5 - The Boyé Multi-National Crusade For Harmony
* Julius Hemphill – soprano saxophone
*
Baikida Carroll
Baikida Carroll (born January 15, 1947) is an American jazz trumpeter.
Carroll studied at Southern Illinois University and at the Armed Forces School of Music. Following this he became a member of the Black Artists Group in St. Louis, where he dir ...
– trumpet
* Jehri Riley – guitar
*
Phillip Wilson
Phillip Sanford Wilson (September 8, 1941 – March 25, 1992) was an American blues and jazz drummer, a founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
Biography
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Un ...
– drums
;Track 6 - The Julius Hemphill Quintet
* Julius Hemphill – soprano saxophone
* John Carter – clarinet
* Baikida Carroll – trumpet
* Roberto Miranda – double bass
*
Alex Cline
Alex Cline (born January 4, 1956) is an American jazz drummer.
Biography
Born in Los Angeles, California, Cline began playing drums with his twin brother, guitarist Nels Cline, at the age of 11. Their first band was called Homogenized Goo and in ...
;Track listing
# "Opener" – 6:05
# "#4" – 10:28
# "#3—Improvisation—#2" – 19:23
# "Collective Improvisation" – 26:10
# "Dogon A.D." – 11:42
*Tracks 1 and 2 were recorded at Studio 28 in New York City on December 10, 1977. Track 3 was recorded at Mapenzi in Berkeley, California, during 1977. Tracks 4 and 5 were recorded at the Foxhole in Philadelphia during 1977.
;Personnel
;Tracks 1–3 - The Janus Company
* Julius Hemphill – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone
* Baikida Carroll – trumpet
* Alex Cline – drums
;Tracks 4 and 5 - The Janus Company + Abdul Wadud
* Julius Hemphill – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone
* Baikida Carroll – trumpet
* Abdul Wadud – cello
* Alex Cline – drums
Disc 4 - Chamber Music
;Track listing
# "Parchment" (1988) – 7:02
# "Mingus Gold: Nostalgia In Times Square" (1988) – 4:29
# "Mingus Gold: Alice's Wonderland" (1988) – 7:35
# "Mingus Gold: Better Get It In Your Soul" (1988) – 7:11
# "Unknown Title No. 1" (1981) – 27:13
# "Unknown Title No. 2" (1981) – 10:03
*Tracks 1–4 were recorded at the
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It was found ...
in Boston on August 2, 2007. Tracks 5 and 6 were recorded at Soundscape in New York City on December 5, 1981.
;Personnel
;Track 1 - solo piano
*
Ursula Oppens
Ursula Oppens (born February 2, 1944) is an American classical concert pianist and educator. She has received five Grammy Award nominations.
Biography
Ursula Oppens was born on February 2, 1944, in New York City into a highly musical family fr ...
Marty Ehrlich
Marty Ehrlich (born May 31, 1955) is a multi-instrumentalist (saxophones, clarinets, flutes) and is considered one of the leading figures in avant-garde jazz.
Biography
Though born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the portion of Ehrlich's youth spent in ...
– soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
* John Purcell – oboe, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
* Janet Grice – bassoon
* Bruce Purse – trumpet
* Ray Anderson – trombone, tuba
Disc 5 - Roi Boyé Solo and Text
;Track listing
# "Trills" – 5:03
# "Unfiltered Dreams: Wade In The Water" – 3:48
# "Unfiltered Dreams: Change My Clothes" – 4:50
# "Unfiltered Dreams: Nobody Tells Me What to Do" – 5:55
# "Unfiltered Dreams: Rapture is the Rupture We are Looking For" – 5:07
# "Unfiltered Dreams: Compute the Dolphin" – 5:01
# "Unfiltered Dreams: In Periods of Trance" – 2:31
# "Unfiltered Dreams: Why I Left St. Louis Soliloquy" – 8:30
# "Unfiltered Dreams: Power Dancer" – 5:27
# "Soweto 1976: A Suite in Five Voices: Part I: The Orator" – 3:41
# "Soweto 1976: A Suite in Five Voices: Part II: What are They Waiting For Me to Tell Them?" – 2:48
# "Soweto 1976: A Suite in Five Voices: Part III: The Hipster" – 4:05
# "Soweto 1976: A Suite in Five Voices: Part IV: The Preacher" – 7:54
# "Soweto 1976: A Suite in Five Voices: Part V: Carnival Barker" – 2:51
# "Solo Soprano Saxophone With 'Bells' Recording" – 7:31
*Track 1 was recorded at the Lenox Arts Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, on September 1, 1981. Tracks 2–9 were recorded at the
Public Theater
The Public Theater is an arts organization in New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: A ...
in New York City during 1982. Tracks 10–14 were recorded at an unknown location and date. Track 15 was recorded at the
Verona
Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...
Jazz Festival on June 6, 1980.
;Personnel
* Julius Hemphill – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
* K. Curtis Lyle – voice (poetry) (tracks 2–9)
* Malinké Elliott – voice (recitation) (tracks 10–14)
Disc 6 - The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony II
;Track listing
# "K.C. Line" – 8:33
# "Testament #5" – 8:30
# "Song Suite: At Harmony" – 0:50
# "Song Suite: Sixty/Sixty" – 1:22
# "Song Suite: Astrid" – 2:07
# "Song Suite: Mailika" – 3:08
# "Song Suite: Pull It" – 1:41
# "Song Suite: Rites" – 0:46
# "Pigskin" – 15:18
# "For Billie (For Billie Holiday)" – 13:10
# "One / Waltz / Time" – 9:39
*Tracks 1 and 2 were recorded at the Manhattan Healing Arts Center in New York City on December 18, 1983. Tracks 3–8 were recorded at an unknown location and date. Tracks 9 and 10 were recorded at Lush Life in New York City on October 5, 1982. Track 11 was recorded on an unknown location during a 1986 European tour.
;Personnel
;Tracks 1 and 2 - The Julius Hemphill Trio
* Julius Hemphill – alto saxophone
* Abdul Wadud – cello
*
Michael Carvin
Michael Wayne Carvin (born December 12, 1944) is an American jazz drummer.
Biography
Born in Houston, Texas, Carvin began his musical training at the age of six with his father, one of the top drummers in Houston. By the age of twelve, Carvin be ...
– drums
;Tracks 3–8 - Duo
* Julius Hemphill – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
*
Jerome Harris
Jerome Harris (born April 5, 1953) is an American jazz musician specializing in electric and acoustic bass guitar, electric guitar, voice, and occasionally lap steel and small percussion.
He came to prominence in 1978 playing bass guitar and g ...
– electric bass
;Tracks 9 and 10 - The Julius Hemphill Quartet
* Julius Hemphill – alto saxophone
*
Jack Wilkins
Jack Rivers Lewis (June 3, 1944 – May 5, 2023), known professionally as Jack Wilkins, was an American jazz guitarist.
Career
A native of New York City, Wilkins grew up listening to his parents' music, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, a ...
– guitar
* Jerome Harris – electric bass
* Michael Carvin – drums
;Track 11 - The JAH Band
* Julius Hemphill – alto saxophone
* Allan Jaffe – guitar
*
Nels Cline
Nels Courtney Cline (born January 4, 1956) is an American guitarist and composer. He has been a guitarist for the band Wilco since 2004.
In the 1980s he played jazz, often in collaboration with his twin brother Alex, a percussionist. He has wor ...
– guitar
*
Steuart Liebig
Steuart Liebig, born July 25, 1956, is an American bassist and composer of modern creative jazz and the free improvisational music. He plays 6-string bass guitars.
Life and work
Liebig grew up in Los Angeles and was influenced as a child by rock ...
– electric bass
* Alex Cline – drums
Disc 7 - Live at Joyous Lake
;Track listing
# "Mirrors" – 27:16
# "Dung" – 24:07
# "Band Introduction" – 0:46
# "Would Boogie" – 14:36
*Recorded at Joyous Lake in Woodstock, New York, on December 19, 1979.
;Personnel
* Julius Hemphill – alto saxophone
* Baikida Carroll – trumpet
*
Dave Holland Dave Holland or David Holland may refer to:
*Dave Holland (bassist)
David Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English double bassist, bass guitarist, cellist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has ...
– double bass
*
Jack DeJohnette
Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer.
Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd (jazz musician), Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, B ...