Hamiet Bluiett

Nali Kola sets the baritone saxophone and flute of Hamiet Bluiett against a group of African drummers. It was recorded digitally, with no overdubbing, on 7 July 1987 at Media Sound in New York and released by Soul Note in 1989. Bluiett was a co-founder of the World Saxophone Quartet, four saxophones with no bass, drums or piano, which made its debut in 1976. NPR's 2018 obituary says he redefined the role of the baritone. Here he goes the other way and surrounds the horn with percussion.

The drummers are Chief Bey, Okyerema Asante, Titos Sompa and Seku Tonge, and Hugh Masekela plays trumpet and flugelhorn. Guitarist Billy Patterson joins on the opening Bouka, which he wrote with Bluiett, and the poet Quincy Troupe reads on Snake Back Solos, a setting of his own text from 1979. The title piece adds pianist Donald Smith and soprano saxophonist James Branch and runs past seventeen minutes, more than a third of the album. Apple's listing gives it a second title, Sobre Une Nube. The writing reflects the group: Broken Sticks is credited to Bluiett and Asante, and the closing Ganza to Bluiett with Bey, Asante and Sompa. Total Fundamental Arts produced the session, with Jim Anderson and Kazunori Sugiyama engineering, Giovanni Bonandrini as executive producer for the label and liner notes by Jimmy Gray. The CAM Jazz credits add alto clarinet to his baritone and flute. The six pieces last about 47 minutes in all.

This is the Soul Note CD 121188-2, made in Italy by PhonoComp, of the album first released in 1989.