Hamiet Bluiett RIP...

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"Hamiet Bluiett, a native of Brooklyn, IL who co-founded the World Saxophone Quartet and redefined the capabilities of the baritone sax in improvised music, died the morning of Thursday, October 4 at St. Louis University Hospital. He was 78 years old.

Bluiett, whose birthday was September 16, had been gravely ill for some time, and according to a Facebook post from his daughter Anaya, was taken off respiratory support last week."

- St Louis Jazz News 4 October 2018

1940-2018, RIP.

[Serial_Apologist]

"Hamiet Bluiett, a native of Brooklyn, IL who co-founded the World Saxophone Quartet and redefined the capabilities of the baritone sax in improvised music, died the morning of Thursday, October 4 at St. Louis University Hospital. He was 78 years old.

Bluiett, whose birthday was September 16, had been gravely ill for some time, and according to a Facebook post from his daughter Anaya, was taken off respiratory support last week."

- St Louis Jazz News 4 October 2018

1940-2018, RIP.

Alan Wilkinson is a great fan.

[Ian Thumwood]

I only have one record with Bluiett in my collection but when I wanted another record by him, there no longer seemed to be any available. I love his playing with Malachi Thompson on the latter's "Talking horns" - a record that also includes the under-rated Oliver Lake on alto.


Oddly enough, I first heard of him on a live Gil Evans record from the early 1980s when the arranger had effectively given up all pretext of being a composer and was fronting a band which was effectively a jam session. The WSO never greatly appealed at the time as I was not keen on unaccompanied horns when they were at their creative zenith. It may seem strange now and somewhat unfashionable yet I always considered Bluiett to be a really hard-swinging player at a time when the sense of swing was not opposed to the cutting edge of jazz. The "Talking horns" album is indicative of the "Free-bop" music promoted by Thompson which, whilst avant garde, never lost site of the importance of communicating with the audience.

[Jazzrook]

Here's Hamiet Bluiett with the Charles Mingus Quintet playing 'Celia' in Berlin in 1972:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOrNRxx_UIE

JR