Approaching 50, tenor sax/bass clarinet master Dave Murray has established himself at the top of his generation’s talented pool of composer/performers. From his beginnings in the free jazz movement to founding of the World Saxophone Quartet to current projects reflecting a wide range of styles and formats, Murray may be the most recorded improviser and one of the most versatile musicians of the past (and current) decade. In early July, Murray brings one of his most inventive ensembles, the Creole Project with the Gwo Ka Masters, to stages in Oakland (Yoshi's), Minneapolis (the Dakota), Chicago (Hothouse), and Toronto (Harbor Center).

Currently living in Paris, Murray grew up in California’s Bay Area, attending schools in Berkely and surrounded by a musical family. His mother played piano, his father guitar, and young David and his family were involved in the music of their church. Introduced to the alto sax while in grade school, Murray played with a local group, Notations of Soul, as a teenager and was inspired upon hearing Sonny Rollins to switch to tenor. As a student at Pomona College, he studied with trumpeter Bobby Bradford, moving to Hamiet Bluiett, and was commissioned to form a big band, which led to his acclaimed octet of the 1980s.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, in small ensembles as well as big band formats, Murray accumulated an enormous discography as leader and sideman, recording with Arthur Blythe, Lester Bowie, Don Cherry, Olu Dara, Jerry Garcia, Max Roach, Elvin Jones, Jack DeJohnette, George Lewis, Sunny Murray, James Newton, Sam Rivers, Cecil Taylor, Henry Threadgill, Randy Weston, James ‘Blood’ Ulmer, John Hicks, and Andrew Cyrille, among many others. In addition to his virtuosity on tenor, he has earned the reputation as the most significant bass clarinet player since Eric Dolphy, and led the Clarinet Summit with John Carter, Jimmy Hamilton, and Alvin Batiste. Recent projects have included his Cuban and Latin Big Bands as well as his current Creole Project.

Since the 80s, Murray’s playing and composing have moved more toward mainstream expression, although never really predictable and always carrying the freer elements of his early years. Describing his integration of free elements with straight-ahead, Ken Cheetham (Pure Cardiff) notes, “He soars across octaves, plummets to juddering bass bawls, wheels to high-end squeals, then floats on notes of melodies you wouldn’t believe he could get to – but he is never lost… Always there is energy and tension.” Further describing Murray’s contemporary takes on the standard repertoire, Chris Kelsey (All Music Guide) notes, “Murray's readings of the old chestnuts are vastly different from interpretations by bebop saxophonists of his generation. Murray's sound is deep, dark, and furry with a wide vibrato—reminiscent of such swing-era tenorists as Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins. And his approach to chord changes is unique… [and] seldom adheres faithfully to the structure of a tune. He's adapted the expressive techniques of his former free jazz self… to his straight-ahead playing, with good results.”

Currently touring with his Creole Project III, Murray melds his edgy saxophone with the gwo-ka, the heavy tambourine-like drums of Guadeloupe, and the rhythmic vocalization in the Creole language, creating powerful and dramatic grooves. The Gwo-Ka Masters, Klod Kiavue and Francois Ladrezeau, provide percussion and vocals. Also in this ensemble are Herve Samb (guitar), Jaribu Shahid (bass), and Ben Sanz (drums). Herve Samb, a Vietnamese/ Senegalese musician living in Paris, accentuates the African link, Murray says, as do the Gwo Ka drums. In addition to touring with the Gwo Ka ensemble, bassist Jaribu Shahid has worked with Murray in the octet and more traditional quartets, and has also teamed with Roscoe Mitchell, James Carter, and Craig Taborn. New to the ensemble is drummer Ben Sanz from Paris.