David Murray Big Band - Live at Sweet Basil - Volume 1

2017 Japanese reissue.

The David Murray Big Band tends to be a bit undisciplined, with plenty of rambunctious and overcrowded ensembles. The high point of this first of two releases is easily the 12-minute "Bechet's Bounce," an often nutty and frequently hilarious "tribute" to Sidney Bechet that improves the longer it is played. The Dixieland-esque structures are better understood by some of the musicians than others, and this performance is quite erratic but certainly memorable. Otherwise, the big band (which includes in its all-star cast cornetist Olu Dara, trombonist Craig Harris, altoist Steve Coleman and drummer Billy Higgins, plus Murray on tenor and bass clarinet) digs into Murray's "Lovers," "Silence" and "Duet for Big Band."

AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow