Julius Hemphill : Composer

Jack DeJohnette

One for Eric

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Composition by Jack DeJohnette, arranged by Hemphill for big band (five saxophones, five trumpets, four trombones, guitar, keyboard, bass, and drums). In this score, the saxophones also double on piccolo, clarinet, and bass clarinet, with the bass clarinet given a lead part. This arrangement was premiered in a concert with the Jack DeJohnette Jazz Machine at UCLA on May 27, 1986. The archive includes a score in holograph, as well as an alto saxophone part for the small group version. There is also an audio recording of this concert.

From Marty Ehrlich: Jack DeJohnette wrote this piece as a tribute to Eric Dolphy. DeJohnette first performed and recorded this work in 1980 with his Special Edition ensemble with Arthur Blythe on alto saxophone, David Murray on bass clarinet, and Peter Warren on bass. 

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Ebony

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Arrangement for big band of a composition by Jack DeJohnette. The holograph score, in pencil with extensive annotations in red pen, is for five saxophones, five trumpets, four trombones, guitar, keyboard, bass, and drums. The main score is forty measures long, with an additional page for two background sections. 

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Ahmad the Terrible

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Sixty-three-measure big-band arrangement (five saxophones, five trumpets, four trombones, and rhythm section) of a composition by Jack DeJohnette that was named for pianist Ahmad Jamal. Archive includes holograph concert score with extensive directions to copyist as well as a holograph score for backgrounds during the solo section from m.63.

From Marty Ehrlich: The process of writing the score in pencil or blue/black pen, then making corrections, dynamics and form decisions, and notes with a fine red pen and a ruler, is consistent in many of Hemphill’s scores from the 1980s or so onward. This score does not include the melody, which would have been in the lead alto part to the original work. 

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