In the early 1980s, when saxophonist Eric Person was coming up, one big question that was being addressed was how to combine the free-swinging improv of the Loft scene with the beauty and power of a large ensemble. Many fascinating strategies would arrive (Henry Threadgill, Butch Morris, we're looking at you!). One of the first and most thrilling came from saxophonist David Murray. Murray was the emerging heavyweight champ of the tenor sax and he packed his Octet with Big Thinkers, Heavy Honkers, and Late-Night Prowlers. "Men," in the words of Stanley Crouch, "of great magnitude." And the David Murray Octet always played standing up. This Monday (1/6) on Deep Focus, Mitch Goldman invites Eric Person into the WKCR archives for an exploration of this explosive and still underappreciated ensemble, from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/. Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted. It's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial. We won't even ask for your contact info.
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