David Murray-INTERBOOGIEOLOGY (Black Saint) 1978

Today is David Murray's 57th Birthday.

This album was recorded in 1978, when he was only 23 years old. It has all the qualities of his early work- The adventurous soloing, the compositions falling somewhere between the smoke-and-grit "down-home"ness of Charles Mingus and the abstract, seemingly familiar folkyness of Albert Ayler.
Murray's solos easily slip back and forth between bluesy lyricism and rhythm and blues gutbucket honks and more abstract multiphonic growls and squeals. Murray has never had trouble jumping from one register to another with great authority ( thus the many comparisons with Eric Dolphy and Albert Ayler in these early years), and most of his solos are made of contrasts of these varied elements, rather than on any kind of dramatic continuity or building of structures based on motivic materials, whether melodic, harmonic, timbral, or any other kind of "systematic" approach. He seems to simply play what sounds good to him.
The compositions are varied, from the Dark-hued 60's-style swing of Butch Morris' Namthini's Shadow through the laid-back ballad Home to the straight ahead bop of Morris' Blues For David and ending with the Bossa Nova of (the only song on the album) Interboogieology.
Once the heads have been played, The approach is evidently one of almost complete freedom throughout, with all of the musicians permitted to contribute as and when they wish. Though there is generally delineation of a primary soloist at any given moment, everybody solos pretty much all the time- or more precisely- whenever they want; commenting on and clarifying or re-directing the thrust of one another's ideas.
Oliver Johnson always sounds great no matter who he plays with and his loose, swinging style is nicely supported here by Johnny Dyani's low, driving pedal tones and strummed chords, and contrasted by his short, ataccato outbursts of flurries of high notes. (The similarities between Dyani's and Murrays multi-faceted approach to register and timbre can be heard especially clearly in the duet "Home".)
Butch Morris has a vocal tone which blends well with Marta Contreras' vocals in the lower registers and his exploration of small motifs and their timbral permutations (Morris uses his mutes to excellent effect) punctuates the music nicely, and induces the other musicians to frequent comments. In the higher register, Contreras vocals are inextricably melded with Murrays upper register squeals, and she uses her voice purely as an instrument, preferring to blend with the horns rather than to contrast them. Her reedy, almost nasal tone is unique and adds unexpected color to the two pieces on which she appears.
-Dr I
























David Murray - Interboogieology

Side One:

1- Namthini's Shadow (Morris)
2- Home (duet) (Murray)

Side Two:

3- Blues For David (Morris)
4- Interboogieology (Murray)

David Murray- Tenor Saxophone
Lawrence "Butch" Morris- Cornet
Johnny Dyani- Bass
Oliver Johnson- Drums
Marta Contreras- Voice (tracks 1 and 4)

Listen to this record LOUD! If you can't hear the 'count-in' to "Blues For David" you should turn it up.

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