Fragmentary composition, known only from an unidentified B-flat instrument part in the Julius Hemphill Papers.
What I Know Now
This composition appears in several different forms in the Julius Hemphill Papers. A version for saxophone quartet (two alto, tenor, and baritone) was recorded on the posthumous album At Dr. King’s Table (1997). There is a score for big band (performed in 1980 at the Public Theatre), as well as a full set of parts in the Julius Hemphill Papers. There are also instrumental parts for oboe, clarinet, and strings, from an unknown performance context. “What I Know Now” was one of the pieces arranged for orchestra by Christopher Bankey as the suite “Plan B.” The piece also appears on archival recordings.
Found on: At Dr. King’s Table.
From Marty Ehrlich: The big band score bears the annotation, “For S*.” On the archival recording for the Public Theater performance from 1980, Julius announces the composition from the stage and says that it is for Stanlynn (Daugherty).
Water Music for Woodwinds
Multi-movement work for seven saxophone players, with doubling on flute and clarinet. The Julius Hemphill Papers has the instrumental parts used in the original performances, on which are written the names of the original performers, as well as materials used in the preparation of the edited score by Marty Ehrlich. The work also appears on archival audio recordings.
The four movements of “Water Music for Woodwinds” are:
I. Mr. Neptune
II. Ms. Catherine
III. Kinspawn
IV. Backwater
From Marty Ehrlich: The archival audio collection includes two performances of this work, in which we first hear Hemphill’s conception of a saxophone choir. Soon after those performances, he formed the World Saxophone Quartet with Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake, and David Murray. About a decade later, Hemphill returned to composing for a six-saxophone choir with Long Tongues: A Saxophone Opera and with the formation of the Julius Hemphill Saxophone Sextet.
Found on: One Atmosphere.
Volunteered Blues
Composition for alto saxophone, trumpet, cello, and percussion. The archive includes a score in holograph; this piece appears on professionally copied instrumental parts, along with the compositions “Hand Packed” and “Rivers of Fire.” The instrumentation is similar to the quartet that recorded the album Flat-Out Jump Suite (1980). No known recording.
Void
Composition for saxophone quartet (two alto, tenor, and baritone), found in Music Manuscript Notebook 6 (MMN6). It is untitled in the notebooks, but the professionally copied parts are titled “Void.” It was posthumously recorded by the Julius Hemphill Sextet on At Dr. King’s Table (1997).
Found on: At Dr. King’s Table.
From Marty Ehrlich: On the envelope containing the parts for “Void” is a list of ten Hemphill compositions for saxophone quartet. Given the presence of the pieces “R&B” and “Steppin'” on this list, it would be dated no earlier than 1979. It is an insistent, if not obsessive, piece of music that takes one, well, into the Void.