by Editor
Fifteen-measure composition in 3/2 meter, for soprano saxophone, flute, and bass, found in Music Manuscript Notebook 4 (MNN4).
From Marty Ehrlich: Considering the range of the soprano line, which goes a major second below the range of the soprano saxophone, this appears to be a concert score.
by Editor
Composition originally written for saxophone quartet (soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone) and later arranged for big band on the album Julius Hemphill Big Band (1988). This composition also exists in an arrangement for saxophone soloist and orchestra, made by Scott Munson for a performance by the Julius Hemphill Sextet and the Richmond Symphony in November 1993. The Julius Hemphill Papers includes proofs of this orchestral arrangement, which was published by Subito Music. There is also an archival recording of Hemphill rehearsing this piece with the World Saxophone Quartet.
Found on: Julius Hemphill Big Band.
From Marty Ehrlich: I have asked numerous early Hemphill colleagues about the title, but no one knows who Leora is.
Hemphill’s copyist, James Ware, has confirmed that a full score for big band was not made. Rather, Mr. Ware made parts directly from the material in the saxophone quartet score and Hemphill’s instructions in his second holograph score.
Tim Berne was the alto saxophone soloist in the premiere performance of the orchestral version of “Leora.”
by Editor
Song by Marvin Gaye and Edward Townsend arranged by Hemphill for saxophone quartet (soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone). This arrangement was recorded by the World Saxophone Quartet on the album Rhythm and Blues (1989). The archive includes both Hemphill’s autograph score and a photocopy of the autograph on which Hemphill filled in missing measures and added further corrections and instructions.
Found on: Rhythm and Blues.
From Marty Ehrlich: The process revealed by a comparison of the two scores points to what is so wonderful in this arrangement. Hemphill captures all the different voices within the original song, and adds new ones to the counterpoint, much as Gaye did, with the three top saxes weaving in and out over the baritone’s bass part. Like his arrangements of classic pieces like “Lush Life,” this one reminds me of “Mingus Gold,” his setting of three Charles Mingus compositions for the Kronos Quartet. In that work, the cello part calls to mind the way Mingus would accompany and improvise within his own works.
by Editor
Composition for saxophone sextet, originally part of the collaboration with Bill T. Jones, “Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin / The Promised Land.” It was later performed in concert as a free-standing piece and recorded by the Julius Hemphill Sextet on the album Fat Man and the Hard Blues (1991).
Found on: Fat Man and the Hard Blues.
by Editor
Composition for saxophone sextet (soprano, two alto, two tenor, and baritone). The six-page score in the Julius Hemphill Papers is accompanied by four pages of poetry by K. Curtis Lyle, including material used in the piece “The Collected Poem for Blind Lemon Jefferson.” The score also includes extensive stage directions, suggesting choreographed movements by the musicians. There is no known recording of this piece.
From Marty Ehrlich: Hemphill first performed with a saxophone sextet in 1987, and he formed the Julius Hemphill Saxophone Sextet in 1988. The handwriting on this score looks very similar to scores he made in 1987-88. I conjecture that this piece marks the beginning of his conception of Long Tongues: A Saxophone Opera.
The Julius Hemphill Papers is an archival collection at New York University. The collection contains scores, audiovisual documentation, and other material related to the life and career of composer and saxophonist Julius Hemphill. Materials are accessible by appointment. Click here to learn more.