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 | World Saxophone QuartetFour NowLabel: Justin Time | Jazz | May 6, 1996Format UPC Order # Unit Price |
Credits Chief Bey african drums and voice Hamiet Bluiett baritone saxophone and contra alto clarinet Mar Gueye african drums and voice Oliver Lake alto saxophone and poetry reading (on track 02) David Murray bass clarinet and tenor saxophone John Purcell alto flute, english horn and saxello Mor Thiam african drums and voice Production Credits | TracksNo Title Duration Excerpts 04 Colors 00:06:54 05 For Now 00:05:22 06 What A Dream 00:07:19 07 Sangara 00:10:40 Liner NotesThe World Saxophone Quartet - founding members Hamiet Bluiett, David Murray and Oliver Lake along with newcomer John Purcell - is once again moving to an African beat. Although they have certainly proved themselves capable of swinging hard without the benefit of any rhythm section, the celebrated modernists clearly find African accompaniment, first debuted on 1991's "Metamorphosis" album, hard to resist.Small wonder. "Four Now" features the same Senegalese master drummers - Mor Thiam, Chief Bey and Mar Gueye - whose deep rhythmic grooves helped to make "Metamorphosis" one of the Quartet's most acclaimed releases. That album included a single Thiam composition and another co-written with Murray. This time around, the African flavor is stronger, with two Thiam numbers Sangara and Suga and a third Doudou N'Diaye by Gueye, among the WSQ originals. But most significantly, "Four Now" boasts a more organic blend of raw African rhythms and rich African-American harmonies than anything heard on its predecessor. Here, horns and drums join forces, either in dynamic rhythmic unison or in vibrant displays of call-and-response. And, on each of the tracks, the percussion plays an integral role, forming the foundation on which the WSQ builds its free-blowing wall of sound. Lake's What A Dream is itself a dazzling interplay of voices, with Lake establishing a sunny theme over rippling percussion for Bluiett, Murray and Purcell to add their bright textures. An explosive djembé solo then serves as a wake-up call for what follows: the driving Sangara in which each WSQ member takes a turn answering Thiam's stirring cry. Purcell's soaring Colors and Bluiett's bluesy title track offer quieter, contemplative moments, although the latter is not without its own locomotive percussion. The spirited Suga and Doudou N'Diaye Rose, a rousing tribute to one of Senegal's legendary drummers, round out the album with the WSQ providing their trademark honks and trills. But the centerpiece is Dakar Darkness, Murray's moody African suite. A lush, haunting backdrop for Lake's poetic reflections, which range from the horrendous (Senegal's historic slave-trading Gorée Island) to the humorous (Dakar's young marketplace hustlers), the piece vividly captures the sounds of a West African nation's bustling capital. No longer confined to its own material and instrumentation, the World Saxophone Quartet now regularly embarks on musical exchanges. Having successfully tackled Ellington and rhythm-and-blues classics, the group has clearly found a comfortable fit with African music. Rarely has a cross-cultural fusion sounded so convincing - or inspired. Nicholas Jennings Toronto-based music journalist Nicholas Jennings specializes in global sounds |
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