David Murray, Tenor Saxophone, and Bass Clarinet, was born in Oakland in 1955. He was born in Berkeley, where he studied with Catherine Murray, his mother, an organist, and Bobby Bradford. In Los Angeles, he also studied with Stanley Crouch, Margaret Kohn, Margaret Kohn, and Arthur Blythe. He then moved to New York in 1975 from Pomona College (Los Angeles). He met Cecil Taylor in New York and began playing with him. Dewey Redman also gave him the encouragement he needed. New encounters would be made in the city, with people and music from all walks of life: Sunny Murray (Tony Braxton), Oliver Lake, Don Cherry. Ted Daniel’s Energy Band was where he collaborated with Hamiet Blueiett and Lester Bowie. After a European tour in 1976, David Murray established the World Saxophone Quartet with Oliver Lake and Hamiet Bluiett. This was the start of a highly creative period, where each recording followed by another with endless combinations of formations. David Murray recorded as many recordings as possible, from Jerry Garcia to Max Roach, and Elvin Jones to Randy Weston, until 1978 when he formed his own quintet, octet, and then his quartet. Since then, his main focus has been on his own music, though he often collaborates with other musicians. “Speaking in Tongues”, a 1982 documentary, and “Jazzman”, a 1999 Baltimore Film Festival nominee, have been made about David Murray. Murray’s music is a product of the post-free movement. It combines the best of New Orleans jazz and free in the 70’s. It’s characterized by its extreme, harsh sound and paroxystic effects. He is influenced by African traditions and represents a return to the raw sound. From Le Dictionnaire du jazz, ed. Laffont, 1995 User contributed text is available under Creative Commons By–SA License. It may also be available under GNU FDL.
