Marty Ehrlich and Julius Hemphill: Circle the Heart

As a teenager in St. Louis, Missouri in the 1970s, young multi-instrumentalist Marty Ehrlich encountered the Black Artists Group, the pathbreaking musical collective co- founded by Julius Hemphill in 1968, and he eventually came to work closely with Hemphill for many years. Hemphill, himself an accomplished multi- instrumentalist on alto, soprano sax and flute, was an invaluable mentor for Ehrlich, particularly starting in the late 1970s when both musicians were working in New York City. Then, when health problems began to plague Hemphill in the late 1980s, Ehrlich returned the favor by leading the Hemphill Sextet for years to come, even when Hemphill could no longer perform, a period which included the recording of the group's classic Five Chord Stud (Black Saint, 1993). Since then, Ehrlich has endeavored mightily to preserve Hemphill's legacy, notably curating the Boy é Multi-National Crusade for Harmony box set (New World, 2021), in addition to serving as archivist for the massive Hemphill archive at NYU. Given that storied partnership, fans of avant-garde jazz will undoubtedly be thrilled to hear the two side- by-side in a duo setting, and this splendid 1982 concert, recently unearthed by Ehrlich, bears ample witness to their extraordinary chemistry, abundantly evident even relatively early in their time together.

Five of the concert's six cuts are Ehrlich's compositions, but the two players are in such tight rapport that the provenance of the pieces hardly matters, as the pair eagerly maneuver their way through each of them with skill and sensitivity, always attentive to each other's decisions. The first piece, "Tribute," possesses a quiet reserve, with both musicians starting on alto sax, finding deep reservoirs of feeling amidst their mutual explorations before Ehrlich takes up the flute and then soprano sax, convincingly demonstrating his facility with all three instruments, with Hemphill in close communication throughout. "Pliant Plaint" has a jauntier air, with plenty of fiery bursts and both players again on alto, each providing dazzling lines full of energy and rhythmic verve. The album's title track is especially compelling, with Ehrlich on bass clarinet providing a rich, expansive foundation for Hemphill's spirited forays on flute.

What unites these musicians is their ability to combine fearsome technique with deep tunefulness. When Hemphill switches to soprano sax for "Willie Whipporwill Heads Back Home," his notes stream out in torrents, but always with an undergirding of melodic structure, rooted in a basic blues sensibility and with an earthy grit that Ehrlich can muster as well in his own playing. The same qualities are readily evident on "The All Told Alto Blues," on which the two stretch out for almost 14 minutes of garrulous conversation, drenched in a shared language providing endless opportunities for creativity.

For an encore, the concert comes to a close with Hemphill's "Border Town," a piece evoking a night in San Antonio in his native Texas, and it is another feature for his soprano sax. Ehrlich's buoyant bass clarinet again provides the perfect companion to Hemphill's playful leaps, in an eight-minute revel which ends the recording in a spirit of joy and exultation. As the Hemphill archives continue to be explored, we can be grateful that they are in Ehrlich's capable hands, as superb releases such as this one should hopefully be followed by many more.