World Saxophone Quartet has built a large, impressive and diverse catalog that ranges from the extreme to the relatively accessible.
Political Blues falls into the relatively accessible category, but for
WSQ's 2006 lineup (
Oliver Lake on alto and soprano sax,
Bruce Williams on alto and soprano sax,
Hamiet Bluiett on baritone sax and
David Murray on tenor sax and bass clarinet), relatively accessible doesn't mean unchallenging. In fact, the songs that have lyrics pack a strong sociopolitical punch. The title track (which features
Murray on lead vocals) expresses the group's disdain for the administration of President George W. Bush, and "Spy on Me Blues" (with
Lake on vocals) is a biting yet humorous commentary on Bush's embarrassing performance during the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans in 2005. But
Political Blues isn't strictly an album of protest lyrics; many of the tracks are instrumentals, including
Lake's funky "Let's Have Some Fun,"
Murray's somewhat Ellingtonian "Hal's Blues" and
Craig Harris' dusky "Harlem." While some
WSQ recordings have favored a saxophone-only policy -- no bass, no drums, no guitar, no brass instruments -- this January 2006 session features several non-sax playing guests. Among them: trombonist
Harris, electric bassist
Jamaaladeen Tacuma, drummer Lee Pearson, trumpeter
Jeremy Pelt and guitarist
James Blood Ulmer (who is featured as a singer on a spirited performance of
Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy").
Political Blues' mixture of jazz, blues and funk is mildly avant-garde, but it isn't radically avant-garde -- and those who have admired
WSQ's spirit of adventure will be happy to know that the saxophonists are still taking chances even at their most accessible. ~ Alex Henderson