By Gary Chapin
It’s amazing to me that this is the first string quartet to record a set of Hemphill compositions. I may be reading too much into his friendship with Abdul Wadud, but Hemphill’s writing and affinity for cello make this idea feel natural. Also, instrument-family quartet’s are exactly in his pocket, if we’re to judge by his tenure with the World Saxophone Quartet.
The quartet—Curtis Stewart, violin, Sam Bardfeld, violin, Stephanie Griffin, viola, and Tomeka Reid, cello—all bring strong histories of innovation, performance, composition and improvisation. The opening track, “Revue” is also the opening track for the World Sax Quartet’s second album, Revue(1982). It’s a bluesy, riffy piece which gets very infectious before going off into out solos. It felt like WSQ’s theme, for a while, or its anthem. The fact that the Hemphill String Quartet programmed it right up front feels like a declaration of intent—and I support that intent.
Tracks 2 through 4 are Hemphill’s “Mingus Gold” suite, three Mingus tunes arranged for string quartet, and played by the Daedalus String Quartet. Their recording can be found on Hemphill’s massive posthumous box set,The Boyé Multi-National Crusade For Harmony (reviewed here). At first I wondered about the decision to put Mingus tunes on what is ostensibly a set of Hemphill compositions, but hearing Hemphill writing in conversation with Mingus is just as mystical as hearing Hemphill composing out of whole cloth. Further, the improvisers play extraordinarily well—as one would expect—and the fact that this is (I think) Hemphill’s only piece written for string 4tet makes it essential.
The final two tracks—”My First Winter/Touchic” and “Choo Choo”—are also sax quartet pieces and give this group ample space to shine, especially on the longer “My First Winter/Touchic.” Overall, this group could stand arm-in-arm with Hemphill and the WSQ. I very much want them to record more, and specifically, more Hemphill—if ever a composer deserved it, ‘tis him. Five stars.
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