David Murray

Live At «Sweet Basil» - Vol. 2 is the second volume from the David Murray Big Band's stand at Sweet Basil in New York, recorded on August 24, 25 and 26, 1984. Murray, born in Berkeley in 1955, had arrived in New York in 1975 and by the mid-1980s led small groups and a big band besides the World Saxophone Quartet, which he had formed with Oliver Lake, Julius Hemphill and Hamiet Bluiett. On these nights the band is directed by Lawrence "Butch" Morris, who conducts and shares the composing and arranging credits with the leader on Discogs.

Murray plays tenor saxophone and bass clarinet at the head of a twelve-piece band. Olu Dara on cornet leads a brass line that also holds trumpet, trombone, French horn and tuba, Steve Coleman plays alto and soprano saxophone, Rod Williams is at the piano, Fred Hopkins plays bass and Billy Higgins percussion, with others. Murray produced the recording, Kazunori Sugiyama engineered it and Giovanni Bonandrini is credited as executive producer. The CAM Jazz notes credit all the music to Murray. Five pieces fill the disc: Dewey's Circle opens at almost fourteen minutes and David Tune runs past twelve, while Roses and Great Peace sit between nine and eleven. The set ends with the brief Four Minute Marvin (For Marvin Gaye), which, despite its title, lasts two and a half minutes. Several of these players stayed with Murray: trumpeter Baikida Carroll, trombonist Craig Harris and saxophonist John Purcell are also in the octet of New Life, recorded for Black Saint in October 1985.

This is the Black Saint CD 120095-2, which Discogs lists as a later pressing (multicoloured disc face) of the album first issued in 1986 as BSR 0095.