World Saxophone Quartet — The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint and Soul Note (2012) RM | 6CD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Probably the first of several saxophone-only ensembles that proliferated in jazz after 1975, the WSQ was unquestionably the most commercially (and, arguably, the most creatively) successful. Of course, commercial success is a relative thing in jazz, especially when one is speaking of an avant-garde group. But unlike most free jazz artists, the WSQ managed to attract an audience of significant size, large enough to have garnered a major-label record deal in the '80s, an almost unheard-of occurrence in that retro-jazz decade. The band did it on merit, too, with only a hint of compromise (manifested mainly by albums of R&B and Duke Ellington covers). By the time their first record on Elektra/Musician came out in 1986, the band had evolved from its fire-breathing, free-improvising, ad-hoc beginnings into a smooth-playing, compositionally minded, well-rehearsed band. At its creative peak, the group melded jazz-based, harmonically adventurous improvisation with sophisticated composition. All of the group's original members (Julius Hemphill, alto; Oliver Lake, alto; David Murray, tenor; and Hamiet Bluiett, baritone) were estimable composers as well as improvisers. Each complemented the whole, making them even greater than the considerable sum of their parts. As a composer, Hemphill drew on European techniques (though his tunes were not without an unalloyed jazz component), while Bluiett was steeped in blues and funk. Lake and Murray fell somewhere in between. As soloists and writers, the early WSQ covered all the bases. Chris Kelsey
Tracklist :
World Saxophone Quartet - Steppin' With The World Saxophone Quartet
World Saxophone Quartet - W.S.Q.
World Saxophone Quartet - Revue
World Saxophone Quartet - Live In Zurich
World Saxophone Quartet - Live At Brooklyn Academy Of Music
World Saxophone Quartet - Moving Right Along
All Credits :

WORLD SAXOPHONE QUARTET - Plays Duke Ellington [1986] FLAC

On their first six recordings, the World Saxophone Quartet (comprised of altoists Oliver Lake and Julius Hemphill, tenor saxophonist David Murray, and baritonist Hamiet Bluiett) stuck exclusively to group originals. This 1986 release was a major departure, for the innovative group performed fresh and generally unpredictable versions of five songs by Duke Ellington and two (including two renditions of "Take the 'A' Train") by Billy Strayhorn. Although the tunes (which include "Lush Life," "Sophisticated Lady," and "In a Sentimental Mood") are familiar, the interpretations are certainly unusual, showing respect for the original melodies and then coming up with new directions. This is thought-provoking music that serves as the perfect introduction to the unique World Saxophone Quartet.  by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Take the "A" Train 1:33
Billy Strayhorn
2 Lush Life 6:30
Billy Strayhorn
3 Prelude to a Kiss 2:43
Duke Ellington / Irving Gordon / Irving Mills
4 Sophisticated Lady 4:41
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Mitchell Parish
5 I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart 6:02
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Henry Nemo / John Redmond
6 Come Sunday 7:36
Duke Ellington
7 In a Sentimental Mood 5:16
Duke Ellington / Manny Kurtz / Irving Mills
8 Take the "A" Train 34:55
Billy Strayhorn
Credits
Alto Saxophone – Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake
Baritone Saxophone – Hamiet Bluiett
Tenor Saxophone – David Murray

 WORLD SAXOPHONE QUARTET - Plays Duke Ellington 

[1986] Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch / FLAC / scans

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