Description
David Murray Quartet – Birdly Serenade – Double Vinyl Records
Birdly Serenade is a vigorous late-career statement from tenor saxophonist David Murray, recorded with pianist Marta Sánchez, bassist Luke Stewart, and drummer Russell Carter. Released by Impulse!, the 2025 album contains eight Murray compositions and treats “bird” imagery as a flexible thread connecting memory, motion, freedom, and the jazz tradition.
The title piece introduces vocalist Ekep Nkwelle without turning the quartet into a conventional singer-with-band setting. Her clear tone becomes another line inside Murray’s writing, set against his broad tenor sound and the quartet’s modern post-bop movement. “Bald Ego” then shifts the focus toward instrumental dialogue and sharply defined rhythmic accents.
“Song of the World (for Mixashawn Rozie)” carries a dedication to the late saxophonist and educator, while “Black Bird’s Gonna Lite Up the Night” combines Nkwelle’s presence with an ensemble that can move from grounded swing to freer exchange. Sánchez’s piano is especially important, supplying both structure and unexpected harmonic turns.
The second record develops the avian theme through “Nonna’s Last Flight,” “Capistrano Swallow,” “Bird’s the Word,” and “Oiseau de Paradis.” Murray’s writing remains melodic even when the quartet stretches the forms, and his tenor retains the forceful, vocalized character that has connected his work across avant-garde and mainstream settings.
This standard black-vinyl edition spreads the complete eight-track album across two records. It is distinct from the opaque-magenta store exclusive and is identified by UPC 602475915928.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
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