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This recording was the first after Julius Hemphill's split with the World Saxophone Quartet. Since this is a saxophone sextet it's likely that comparisons will be made between the two groups. Because Hemphill wrote many songs for the WSQ there are occasions where you hear similar riffs or changes; but both groups' members have distinct personalities and that makes a lot of difference.
This version of the Sextet is composed of Julius Hemphill (composer, arranger, alto sax and flute), Marty Erhlich (soprano & alto saxes, flute), Carl Grubbs (soprano & alto), James Carter (tenor), Andrew White (tenor), and Sam Furnace (baritone & flute). With so many saxes and so many players doubling on instruments it's necessary to list the solos for each song.
Most of the songs are premire recordings and come from various Hemphill projects for theater, dance, and Hemphill's own "saxophone opera" (there's no singing here - the horns are the voices on these pieces). "Otis' Groove" is an Otis Redding-type number sounding a little like "Dock of the Bay"; "Floppy" sounds like a swing number from the forties where the band changes from a swinging rhythm section into 6 soloists fighting for space - and then back. James Carter gets soulful on "Four Saints" as does Andrew White on "Anchorman". The band is as tight as a banjo string (there's no banjo here).
The real treat on this recording is the remake of "The Hard Blues" which appeared on an earlier Hemphill release (recently re-released under the title "Reflections"). It's the blues - joyful, soulful, but occasionally complicated.
If you liked the World Saxophone Quartet you owe it to yourself to check this out - not to mention the Sextet's followup "Five Chord Stud".
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