World Saxophone Quartet

The World Saxophone Quartet is a jazz ensemble founded in 1977, incorporating elements of free jazz, R & B, funk and South African jazz into their music.The original members were Julius Hemphill (alto and soprano saxophone, flute), Oliver Lake (alto and soprano saxophone), Hamiet Bluiett (baritone saxophone, alto clarinet), and David Murray (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet). The first three had worked together as members of the Black Artists' Group in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1989, Hemphill left the group due to illness, and several saxophonists have filled his chair in the years since. Hemphill died on April 2nd, 1995. In the late 1980s the quartet used Bluiett's composition "Hattie Wall" (released on W.S.Q., Live in Zurich, Dances and Ballads, Steppenwolf and Yes We Can) as a signature theme for the group. The group principally recorded and performed as a saxophone quartet, usually with a lineup of two altos, tenor, and baritone (reflecting the composition of a classical string quartet), but were also joined later in their career by drummers, bassists, and other musicians. Occasionally other saxophonists would sit in or substitute for a tour. These guests have included Sam Rivers, Tony Kofi, Steve Potts, Branford Marsalis, Jorge Sylvester and James Spaulding. Hamiet Bluiett died on October 4th, 2018 after an extended illness.