World Saxophone Quartet


The World Saxophone Quartet is a jazz ensemble founded in 1977, incorporating elements of free jazz, R & B, funk and South African jazz into their music.
The original members were Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, Hamiet Bluiett, and David Murray. The first three had worked together as members of the Black Artists' Group in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1989, Hemphill left the group due to illness, and several saxophonists have filled his chair in the years since. Hemphill died on April 2nd, 1995. In the late 1980s the quartet used Bluiett's composition "Hattie Wall" as a signature theme for the group. The group principally recorded and performed as a saxophone quartet, usually with a lineup of two altos, tenor, and baritone, but were also joined later in their career by drummers, bassists, and other musicians. Occasionally other saxophonists would sit in or substitute for a tour. These guests have included Sam Rivers, Tony Kofi, Steve Potts, Branford Marsalis, Jorge Sylvester and James Spaulding. Hamiet Bluiett died on October 4th, 2018 after an extended illness.

Discography

Albums