The World Saxophone Quartet – Point of No Return (CD1034)

Four saxophones and no rhythm section. In June 1977 the World Saxophone Quartet played the 6th New Jazz Festival in Moers with David Murray, Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake and Hamiet Bluiett, four of the most important voices of the American jazz avant-garde. This live set is the quartet’s first album and one of the key documents of its early years.

The music moves between tightly arranged ensemble passages, free improvisation and blues-rooted grooves. The pieces range from the short opener “Dar El Sudan” and the closing “Hymn for the Old Year” to the 23-minute “Scared Sheetless”, a long, open-ended performance where each player has room to stretch out.

The album was released on Moers Music, the label that grew out of the Moers Festival and has documented European and American avant-garde jazz since the 1970s. When you buy here, you’re buying directly from the label, and we only sell originals.

Tracklist

1. Dar El Sudan – 2:32

2. Bayou Sketches – 9:35

3. Point of No Return – 10:00

4. Scared Sheetless – 23:30

5. Hymn for the Old Year – 3:45

Total running time: approx. 49 minutes

Personnel

• David Murray – tenor saxophone

• Julius Hemphill – alto saxophone

• Oliver Lake – alto & soprano saxophone

• Hamiet Bluiett – baritone saxophone

Details

• Format: CD

• Label: Moers Music

• Catalog no.: CD1034

• Recorded: Live, June 1977, 6th New Jazz Festival Moers, Germany

• Price: €14.00