David Murray Infinity Quartet, CBSO Centre, Birmingham, 18/10/2013.

The opportunity to witness a rare visit by American tenor saxophonist and composer David Murray to UK shores was too good to miss. It’s been over twenty years since I last saw Murray play live, two very different performances, both in 1990.

The first saw him at Brecon Jazz festival as part of a heavily amplified “supergroup” featuring James Blood Ulmer on guitar and vocals, Jamaldeen Tacuma on electric bass and Ronald Shannon Jackson at the drums. Their set was loud and brutal, played outdoors in a Brecon car park with thunder rolling around the Beacons and jagged forks of lightning providing an impromptu but stunningly dramatic light show. The weather perfectly matched the aggression of the music, these guys exuded “attitude” and they were stunningly loud. “Jazz is the teacher, funk is the preacher” indeed (as Ulmer sang). Meanwhile Murray blew belligerently on electric hooked tenor, Tacuma rumbled like the thunder in the mountains and Jackson “pushed those drums right in yo’ face” (Ulmer again) while bellowing something about Richard III on one of the most incendiary drum solos I’ve ever seen. The combination of music and elements made this one of the most unforgettable gigs I’ve ever witnessed. Even my mate Jon, usually a metal fan of the Metallica, Guns ‘N’ Roses, AC/DC school, reckoned these guys were awesome and wouldn’t have sounded out of place at the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donnington which was taking place that very same weekend (Jon couldn’t afford to go to that in those days). 

Later that same year I saw a more obviously “jazz” performance from Murray’s octet on a Contemporary Music Network tour at the Adrian Boult Hall in Birmingham. In its way the music was equally uncompromising and I recall multi reeds player James Spaulding pushing Murray mighty close in the solo stakes. I still have the vinyl copy of “Ming” purchased at that gig. This 1980 octet album is still considered to be one of Murray’s best and it still sounds startlingly relevant and contemporary as it plays in the background while I write this.

Fast forward twenty three years and Murray is back in Birmingham, this time with his Infinity Quartet, the band that recorded his latest album “Be My Monster Love”. The album includes vocal performances by Gregory Porter and Macy Gray and the songs on which they appear represent a typically unflinching look at the attitudes towards Afro Americans in the USA today. We didn’t have the big name singers tonight but we did have album personnel Jaribu Shahid (double bass) and Nasheet Waits (drums) with pianist Rod Williams replacing the album’s Marc Carey. 

Although it’s been a long gap since I last saw Murray perform live he has been a fairly regular visitor to Birmingham over the years, this due in part to his enduring friendship with the late, great Andy Hamilton MBE (1918-2012), the Jamaican tenor saxophonist who moved to Birmingham in 1949 and became one of the city’s most respected musicians. Jazz stardom came late to Hamilton who made his recording début in 1991 aged seventy two. Murray was one of several high profile guest stars to appear on the hugely successful “Silvershine” and struck up an enduring friendship with Hamilton which lasted until the older man’s death. Murray came to Birmingham for Hamilton’s funeral and tonight’s event, attended by many members of Hamilton’s family, was in part a celebration of Andy’s life, a special occasion that was ultimately more than just a run of the mill jazz concert.

With this aspect in mind the promoters, Jazzlines, arranged for The Notebenders, the community band founded by Andy Hamilton, to play a short support set. The band rehearses regularly in the Ladywood area of the city under the guidance of directors John Fleming and Andy Bunting, both respected musicians on the Birmingham scene playing saxophone and piano respectively. The Notebenders line up crosses, age, gender and racial boundaries, a truly multi cultural grouping of people who appeared to be having great fun playing their music. 

Under the baton of Fleming they opened up with the standard “All Of Me” and followed this with Charlie Parker’s “My Little Suede Shoes”. There’s a huge preponderance of saxophonists in the band (sixteen reeds,no brass) and we heard from some of these here,  first Jo on soprano, then Kirk and Curtis on altos. Bunting’s innovative arrangement had the whole band clapping in different meters above features for bass and drums. This was involving, fun and effective.

In the absence of a guitar Kenny Burrell’s “Blue Bossa” offered more solo opportunities for the saxophonists and we heard from Angela on alto, Trevor on soprano and man mountain Ronnie on tenor before a closing feature for Joe at the drums.

From the “Silvershine” album Andy Hamilton’s own “Andy’s Blues” is a a particular favourite of the band’s as was evidenced in the big ensemble sound with precocious eleven year old drummer Alex imparting an admirable amount of swing. Solos here came from Nick at the piano, Pat on tenor and Wayne on alto. Fleming picked up his own alto and played along with the band but the best moment came from Curtis, his closing alto feature the strongest solo of the entire set.

The occupants of the drum and piano stools changed regularly and the impressive young drummer Romana led the band through her arrangement of Duke Ellington’s “Caravan”, opening up the proceedings herself from the drum kit.

Finally came an exuberant “Second Line”,  the sense of joyousness implied in the title. Solos here on alto, tenor and piano plus a closing solo from a young alto player in his early teens. Unfortunately Fleming didn’t name check these guys although he did thank the Jazzlines organisation effusively.

I rather enjoyed this short set, everybody played to the best of their abilities and there was a real sense of fun and community spirit. Very well done everybody.

The Notebenders appear regularly as part of the Sax In The City programme at Birmingham Symphony Hall.  Their schedule can be found on the band’s own website http://www.notebenders.org

And so on to the “main event”.  Murray seemed to be in emotional mood as he paid tribute to his friend Hamilton before launching into “Sorrow Song” from “Be My Monster Love” the tune dedicated to Hamilton. Murray is an awesome technician, arguably the most accomplished tenor saxophonist living in the world today. His solos have an epic quality, frequently lengthy affairs that traverse a variety of styles, emotions and techniques. Here he began with a warm, round ballad like tone but was soon pushing the envelope, prodding and probing as his playing became increasingly garrulous. Meanwhile Waits drummed up a storm behind him, his polyrhythmic flow seemingly effortless but hugely impressive. Murray then vacated the stage and left his colleagues to get on with it, first Williams at the piano who seemed to ease his way in gradually, then Murray’s long term associate Shahid at the bass, his melodic, dexterous lines drawing succinct commentary from Waits at the drums. Finally Murray returned for the big finish, his second solo pithier but no less intense.

Also drawn from the new album “French Kiss For Valerie” represented a dedication to Murray’s wife. Building from Shahid’s opening bass riff Murray played the theme on tenor with Williams and Waits subsequently joining the proceedings . But it was Murray’s opening solo that really grabbed the attention,  despite the title this piece was no ballad with Murray instead expressing his passion for his beloved in a truly bravura solo fuelled by Waits’ relentless rhythmic flow. Murray’s tenor soared and swooped, honked and wailed, he knows every technique in the book and more besides.
Finally he stepped aside and let Waits take over. The son of the late drummer Freddie Waits Nasheet is a brilliant technician and a highly accomplished performer. I remember being very impressed with him at the 2011 London Jazz festival when he depped for Jack DeJohnette in the all star band of veteran French reeds player Michel Portal and had looked forward to seeing him again. He didn’t disappoint and I didn’t envy Williams the task of having to follow Murray and Waits. When Murray eventually returned his second sax salvo still found him relentlessly exploring every aspect of his instrument. Amazing stuff.

The quartet retained the energy levels on “Obie”, a piece written by the late Laurence Butch Morris (1947-2013). The cornet player and composer was an early mentor of Murray’s and the saxophonist dedicated the tune to his memory. Morris’ composition mixed boppish phrasing with Ornette Coleman like melody and drew forth Williams’ best solo so far alongside a blistering Murray sax barrage fuelled by the dynamic bombardment of Waits’ drumming. Shahid’s bass feature, also his best so far, offered a pause for breath before Waits took up the sticks once more for a stunning solo demonstration of his technical prowess which drew whoops of delight from a sizeable Birmingham audience now swelled by the ranks of the Notebenders.

So far things had been pretty much relentlessly “full on” so the tenor sax/double bass duet on Duke Ellington’s “In My Solitude” represented a welcome change of mood and pace. Murray and Shahid are long term acquaintances and their remarkable rapport was apparent throughout, as they gently (and sometimes not so gently) stretched the fabric of the tune with Murray’s playing incorporating vocalisations and sometimes straying in to the tenor’s upper register to produce a series of bat like squeaks.

The leader switched to bass clarinet for the quartet’s take on Thelonious Monk’s “Lets Cool One”, the quirky take on the tune bringing out the humour of both Monk and Murray. Murray is an equally convincing soloist on the instrument popularised by Eric Dolphy and as with the tenor he is keen to explore every aspect of the tenor. Thus we had an unaccompanied introduction, an intriguing duet between bass clarinet and piano and the sight of Murray stretching out by way of slap tonguing and drone effects and embracing a wilful dissonance. Shahid and Waits were not to be forgotten, the latter’s feature played with brushes alone, an effective contrast to his earlier high octane hammering.

The final tune of the set was unannounced but Peter Bacon on his Jazz Breakfast blog suggested that it might have been “Dirty Laundry”. In any event its buoyant Latin rhythmic inflections proved the jumping off point for a fine solo from Williams with the pianist both lyrical and expansive. Murray upped the ante with his tenor solo culminating in a series of foghorn like blasts. The now obligatory bass and drum solos rounded things off with Murray, who had been in an emotional mood throughout once more offering profuse thanks to the Hamilton family.

Almost inevitably the quartet were rewarded with a tremendous reception from the Birmingham crowd with many of the audience members getting to their feet to deliver a standing ovation. Tony Dudley Evans of Jazzwise persuaded them to return for a relatively brief encore, this a veritable tenor saxophone showcase with Murray swarming all over the instrument in one final demonstration of his formidable skills. More thunderous applause followed even though several audience members had already left to catch last trains etc.

The night represented a triumphant and emotional return to Birmingham for Murray with many audience members beside themselves with delight at what they’d seen. And yet there was still an element of doubt in my mind. I’d enjoyed the night as an event and marvelled at the sheer skill and “chops” of the players, especially Waits and, of course,  Murray himself.
But for all the fire and technical excellence I somehow found it all emotionally uninvolving (I’m speaking musically here, leaving the Hamilton connection aside). For all the brilliance the performance was essentially a string of solos, and impressive as these were I did find that the almost constant grandstanding started to pall after a while. The Ellington and Monk numbers in the middle of the set offered an element of light and shade and I’d have liked to have seen a little more of this. Few other audience members seemed to share my reservations although Peter Bacon did inject a small element of doubt into his review. However taken overall this was a triumphant, and sometimes emotional, return to Birmingham for David Murray and a wonderful tribute to the life and work of Andy Hamilton.