Julius Hemphill : Composer

Dogon A.D. 2011

Rites

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The Julius Hemphill Papers has a number of different scores for this composition, which was first recorded on Hemphill’s debut album Dogon A.D. (1972). On that album, it is played by an ensemble of saxophone, trumpet, cello, and percussion. Music Manuscript Notebook 2 (MMN2) includes an arrangement for alto saxophone, trumpet, guitar, and bass, with the title “Original Rites.” Hemphill also arranged “Rites” for big band (five saxophones, two trumpets, two trombones, two French horns, two guitars, bass, and drums), though it was not included on the album Julius Hemphill Big Band (1988). The Julius Hemphill Papers includes a score in holograph for the big band version, as well as professionally copied parts in manuscript. There are numerous instrumental parts for various ensembles, including some for string instruments from an unknown performance. Some parts appear in MMN7, 8, and 9.

Found on: Dogon A.D., Dogon A.D. (2011 reissue), Diminutive Mysteries (Mostly Hemphill), The Hard Blues: Live in Lisbon.

From Marty Ehrlich: Hemphill brought the big-band arrangement of “Rites” to the rehearsals for the Julius Hemphill Big Band recording, and we tried it once at the warm-up gig we did at the Village Gate before the recording session. The arrangement was complicated, a real re-imagining and extension of the work. I think we ran out of time to make it happen, with the recording session up ahead. 

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Painter, The

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Composition for flute, trumpet, cello, and percussion, recorded on Hemphill’s debut album Dogon A.D. (1972). The Julius Hemphill Papers includes parts for cello–in holograph and professionally copied, with annotations from the cellist–but no full score.

Found on: Dogon A.D., Dogon A.D. (2011 Reissue).

From Marty Ehrlich: This work is a tribute to the painter Oliver Jackson, who was a member of the Black Artist Group and a close artistic colleague of Hemphill. Hemphill’s solo introduction to the piece on the recording is another example of his unique and soulful creativity on the flute.

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Hard Blues, The

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This is one of Hemphill’s most frequently recorded and performed works. The archive includes various scores and parts, including a short score in holograph for alto saxophone, trumpet, cello, and bass in Music Manuscript Notebook 3. It was first recorded during the sessions for Dogon A.D. (1972), though it was not released until his next album, ’Coon Bid’ness (1975). Hemphill arranged “The Hard Blues” for big band in 1980 for performances at the Public Theatre in New York City, which are documented on archival recordings. The piece was also included in “Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin / The Promised Land,” in a version for saxophone sextet later recorded by the Julius Hemphill Sextet. Also see “Hardening.”

From Marty Ehrlich: On the recording session that produced Dogon A.D., Hemphill recorded more music than could fit on one recording, including this piece. He released it four years later on ’Coon Bid’ness. He also performed this work with his JAH band and other small groups with rhythm section.

Found on: ’Coon Bid’ness, Dogon A.D. 2011, Georgia Blue, Fat Man and the Hard Blues, The Hard Blues: Live in Lisbon.

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Dogon A.D.

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This piece was first recorded on Hemphill’s debut album, Dogon A.D. (1972) with alto saxophone, trumpet, cello, and drums. Hemphill arranged it for various instrumental ensembles over the course of his career, and the archive contains many different scores and parts in Hemphill’s hand.

Music Manuscript Notebook 2 (MMN2) includes a score titled “Original Dogon A.D.” for alto saxophone, trumpet, vibraphone, and drums. Hemphill arranged the piece for twelve-piece big band in 1980, a performance documented on archival recordings, and he added strings for the piece’s performance in Long Tongues: A Saxophone Opera.

The JAH band recorded a version titled “Dogon II” on the album Georgia Blue (1984), with alto saxophone, guitar, electric bass, drums, and percussion.

Found on: Dogon A.D., Dogon A.D. (2011 expanded reissue), Georgia Blue, Live from the New Music Cafe.

From Marty Ehrlich: This is arguably Hemphill’s most famous composition. He performed and recorded at least two different versions of “Dogon A.D.” with his JAH Band, whose original instrumentation was alto saxophone, guitar, electric bass, drums, and percussion. This group recorded the piece as “Dogon II” on the album Georgia Blue (1984), from a live performance at the Willisau Jazz Festival in Switzerland. For the band’s next tour, Hemphill got rid of percussion and added a second guitarist, Bill Frisell. In a phone conversation in 2018, guitarist Nels Cline recalled that Hemphill composed the new guitar part at a piano in Switzerland during a six-week tour of Europe in 1985, and that the part was written for Frisell to play as an answer to the melody, which Hemphill and Cline performed. Cline reported that he always played the melody of “Dogon A.D.” with Hemphill, with Frisell playing the answer part.

The big band version of “Dogon,” with an introduction and with backgrounds for the solo sections added, was premiered at the New Jazz at the Public series at the Public Theatre on November 1, 1980.

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