David Murray - Octet Plays Trane

David Murray, tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist, has forged a brilliant career of playing powerful avant garde originals and interpretations that are grounded in the sound of titans like Ben Webster and Sonny Rollins. However, he has his own particular sound and style of arrangement that brings to mind the creative forces of Archie Shepp and others. In April and May of 1999, he put together an octet and recorded a blazing tribute to John Coltrane. From the first track of Octet Plays Trane, Giant Steps, the listener recognizes the familiar chord changes of Coltrane’s classic. However, this resemblance does not last long, as Murray and fellow band members scream along at warp speed, weaving in and out of the melody with a myriad of sounds and textures, bringing vibrant life to a piece that has grown somewhat static over the years. This is a true interpretation of classic jazz, in which the artist takes the work of another and puts his own creative identity squarely in the mix. Repeated listenings offer new musical paradigms on the Coltrane classics. (The album also covers Coltrane’s Naima, India, Lazy Bird, A Love Supreme, part I, and Murray original, The Crossing.) Murray has been knocked through the years by the purists in the avant garde community for wandering from the abstract to more accessible music. This album offers a bit of both: crooked, melodic jumps of passion bumping along on top of a constant swing.