Jazz Articles about World Saxophone Quartet

World Saxophone Quartet: Experience

by Jim Santella
April 4, 2004

The World Saxophone Quartet has never sounded better. It’s all about the music. With their eighth Justin Time album, they’ve rediscovered a source that has inspired generations. Although Jimi Hendrix passed in 1970, his music has stayed with us through thick and thin. How could we have ever survived Vietnam without his music? Two Gulf wars and numerous tragedies, both home and abroad, have left their mark on our existence. Through it all, several generations have been fortunate to have ...

World Saxophone Quartet: Steppenwolf

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 2002

Let's be up front: the World Saxophone Quartet has never made a bad record. Sure, some listeners might not appreciate the unbridled energy that marks much of their work--but as for the rest, there are no low points. On the other hand, no single WSQ record stands out above their twenty-some others. Certainly that's a catch most bands would gladly aspire to achieve, but it also presents a challenge when the group steps forward to document a new performance. The ...

World Saxophone Quartet: Steppenwolf

by Jim Santella
June 1, 2002

Extended pieces make up most of the program presented here by the World Saxophone Quartet in a live Chicago appearance from 1999. In front of an audience, the foursome is loose and natural; what you see is what you get.

Since 1976, this ensemble has taken its alluring persona on the road in chamber jazz fashion with great success. Their product is always a treat. When Julius Hemphill passed in 1995 and John Purcell joined the unit, things ...

World Saxophone Quartet: 25th Anniversary

by Derek Taylor
July 1, 2001

Dressed to the nines in white tuxedos for the cover photo of this disc the WSQ obviously takes its quarter-century anniversary seriously. As they should, the four saxophonists have been something of an institution since their inception in 1976. Rolling the years forward from their inaugural run the group has undergone the requisite changes and growing pains. Original member Julius Hemphill is no longer with us, replaced some years back by Purcell, but the crux and focus of the band ...

World Saxophone Quartet: 25th Anniversary: The New Chapter

by AAJ Staff
May 1, 2001

To the uninitiated, the title of this disc might portend bad omens. These four guys have been playing saxophone together for twenty-five years--how can they possibly still be interesting? Of course, that question is answered most affirmatively after a few minutes of listening, but it still deserves comment. With a combined eight decades of shared experience, the members of the WSQ have an amazing degree of cohesion. They constantly teeter on the balance between arranged parts and full-on improvisation, knowing ...

World Saxophone Quartet featuring Jack DeJohnette: Selim Sivad

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 2000

On 1998's Selim Sivad, the members of the WSQ devote themselves to the memory and spirit of jazz master Miles Davis. They continue to incorporate African drums, this time also including Davis alumnus drummer/pianist Jack DeJohnette. Compared to the earlier WSQ+drums records, Selim Sivad includes a greater variety of improvisational approaches. While “Seven Steps to Heaven" receives a tight percussion-rich interpretation, “The Road to Nefertiti" more openly explores space and time, and “Tutu" gets the funky drummer treatment from DeJohnette. ...

World Saxophone Quartet: Requiem For Julius

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 2000

Requiem for Julius dedicates itself to the memory of founding WSQ member Julius Hemphill (here again replaced by John Purcell). The quartet stands alone--without its recent companion, African drums--and invokes its remarkable ability to trade off between tight arrangements and free improvisation. In fact, it's often hard to tell where the arrangements leave off and the improvisation begins. Despite the quarter century of musicianship shared between the other three founding members, Purcell plays with maturity and sensitivity, fitting right in. ...