Big Band

Alto saxophonist Hemphill was a wildly creative spirit whose music routinely blended jazz, funk, and avant-garde compositional concepts with poetry and drama. His music often had a stark, stare-you-down rawness, but when given the opportunity, he could deliver joyous Ellingtonian swing. On this album, he’s joined by 15 other musicians and, on the nearly 19-minute “Drunk On God,” poet K. Curtis Lyle. The uptempo pieces (“At Harmony,” “Bordertown”) squall and soar, the ballads (“For Billie,” “Leora”) are lush and lovely, and Bill Frisell’s guitar gives the funky “C/Saw” extra bite.