by Editor
Composition for saxophone sextet (two soprano, alto, two tenor, and baritone). It was written for the dance performance “Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin / The Promised Land” and later recorded by the Julius Hemphill Sextet. It was published in the Julius Hemphill Saxophone Sextet Collection by Subito Music.
Found on: Fat Man and the Hard Blues, The Hard Blues: Live in Lisbon.
by Editor
Composition for saxophone sextet with woodwind doubling (three flutes, alto saxophone, two tenor saxophones), recorded by the Julius Hemphill Sextet on Fat Man and the Hard Blues (1991). The archive includes a score and parts in holograph. The work is included in the Saxophone Sextet Collection published by Subito Music.
Found on: Fat Man and the Hard Blues.
From Marty Ehrlich: This work is a scored collective improvisation, with a series of figures cued within the improvisation.
by Editor
Composition for saxophone sextet (three alto, two tenor, and baritone). This piece was used as the overture to the first part of Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin / The Promised Land. It was also incorporated, with added instruments, into the score for Long Tongues: A Saxophone Opera. It is published in the Julius Hemphill Sextet Collection by Subito Music.
Found on: Fat Man and the Hard Blues, The Hard Blues: Live in Lisbon.
From Marty Ehrlich: The Julius Hemphill Sextet opened every concert with this piece.
by Editor
Composition for saxophone sextet (two soprano, alto, two tenor, and baritone). It was originally used in the dance performance “Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin / The Promised Land,” and later recorded by the Julius Hemphill Sextet on Fat Man and the Hard Blues (1991).
Found on: Fat Man and the Hard Blues, The Hard Blues: Live in Lisbon.
From Marty Ehrlich: This is one of the most extensive pieces in Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin/The Promised Land. It was played at a very slow tempo (quarter note = 40), and it underscored a long dance sequence. It became a staple of the Julius Hemphill Saxophone Sextet repertoire.
The harmonies sound like no one else but Julius Hemphill, light and dark and mysterious. He spoke to this work in an interview in BOMB Magazine published in 1994: “Opening is supposed to be church bells, the sound of a lot of bells going off….I was striving for a certain majesty. A ringing bell creates a series of overtones that exist within it. So I was trying to activate enough pitches in the saxophone to create that sound.”
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.
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.