Large-scale theatrical work by Hemphill which went through many different versions, with work-in-progress presentations beginning in 1987. The piece was written for saxophone sextet with strings (two violin, two viola, two cello, double bass), winds/brass (piccolo, two trumpet, two trombone, French horn), and rhythm section (piano, bass, drums, percussion). The world premiere was in Washington, D.C. in 1989, with performances at the Apollo Theater in New York City and the Strand Theatre in Boston in 1990. (See Timeline for more details). The archive contains extensive material related to this piece, particularly scores and parts related to the full performances in Washington and New York. Long Tongues incorporated several pre-existing compositions by Hemphill.
Performance Order
The individual sections of “Long Tongues” have been reconstructed by Marty Ehrlich as follows:
New York City (Apollo Theater) and Boston version
Sketch I
Sketch II
Sketch III
Mask Dance
Ballad #1-Blues
Band Theme
Georgia Blues plus Sketch IV
Sketch IV
R&B
Dogon A.D.
For Andrew
Otis Groove
Soulo
Overture
Washington, D.C. and New York City (Lincoln Center) version
Lento (Prayer Like) / Tribute
Sketch I
Sketch II
Sketch III
Sketch IV
Overture: Riot Scene
Band Theme
Bop Scene-K.C. Line
Soulo
Dogon A.D.