Murray, David
Justin Time, 2025, CD
Instrument: Saxophone
Issue: 31.2
Jazz Ruler Type: Fusion
Performance: 4
Sound: 3
Score: 74
O’s Notes: Saxophonist David Murray leads his working quartet with Russell Carter (d), pianist Marta Sánchez (p), and Luke Stewart (b) on Birdly Serenade. They open with the title track, sung by Cameroonian American jazz singer Ekep Nkwelle. The lyrics are based on a poem by Francesca Cinelli, Murray’s wife and manager. Nkwelle also sings “Song Of The World”, and Cinelli provides the lyrics on “Oiseau de Paradis”. The other five selections are swinging instrumentals, also based on Cinelli’s poems complete with guttural squawks from Murray’s sax. “Black Bird’s Gonna Light Up The Night” is the most provocative of the set but we were most stimulated by “Nonna’s Last Flight”. Murray seeks to engage his audience in expression of what they hear, and this high-octane performance does the trick.
Publicist: Crossover Media