World Saxophone Quartet: The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint and Soul Note  Format: 6 x CD Box Set. Italy  Feb 7, 2012

Label: Black Saint-BXS 1015, Soul Note- BXS 1015

Series: The Complete Remastered Recordings On Black Saint & Soul Note

     The World Saxophone Quartet is an American jazz ensemble founded in 1977 that originally consisted of David Murray (Henry Threadgill, James Blood Ulmer, Elvin Jones), Oliver Lake (Trio 3), Julius Hemphill (Bjork, Bill Frisell, Anthony Braxton), and Hamiet Bluiett (Charles Mingus, Babatunde Olatungi, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye).  

This is one of the finest and most original combos in the history of jazz, and they were consistently rated among the top jazz groups of the the ‘80s and ’90s. In the beginning their sound included only four saxophones (three of whom were originally heard on Anthony Braxton’s album "New York, Fall 1974”).  WSQ was a mixture of free form improvisational jazz and the use of repeated phrases from the swing era, and sometimes a bit of blues or r&b thrown in for good measure.  This set is a good example of post bop jazz utilizing only horns—nothing else needed— that shows a band that is fearlessly making a path for creating new form jazz.  Who knows what they might have created if they hadn’t split up in 2016, but at least we have their legacy here still.  Highlight:  Hamiet Bluiett’s composition, Hattie Wall in all its versions, was a signature for the group.  Check it out!  (Very hard to find, $120 new on Amazon.)