Julius Arthur Hemphill was a jazz composer and saxophone player. He performed mainly on alto saxophone, less often on soprano and tenor saxophones and flute.
The Jazz Composer's Orchestra is a 1968 album by the Jazz Composer's Orchestra recorded over a period of six months with Michael Mantler as composer, leader and producer. Many of the key figures in avant-garde jazz from the time contributed on the album including Don Cherry, Pharoah Sanders, Gato Barbieri, Larry Coryell, Roswell Rudd, and Carla Bley. The album's finale features a two-part concerto for Cecil Taylor and orchestra.
Julius Hemphill Big Band is an album by jazz saxophonist Julius Hemphill recorded in 1988 for the Elektra/Musician label.
Dogon A.D. is an album by saxophonist Julius Hemphill. It was recorded in February 1972 in St. Louis, Missouri, and was initially released on LP in limited quantities later that year by Hemphill's own Mbari Records, a label he created for the express purpose of issuing his own music. The album was reissued on LP by the Freedom label in 1977, and was reissued on CD in 2011, with extra liner notes and reproductions of the artwork from both the Mbari and Freedom releases, by International Phonograph. A fourth track from the recording session, titled "Hard Blues," and featuring guest saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett, was originally released on Hemphill's 1975 album Coon Bid'ness, and was included as a bonus track on the 2011 reissue of Dogon A.D., bringing together all the music from the session.
Abdul Wadud was an American cellist known for his work in jazz and classical settings. Jazz musician and fellow composer Tomeka Reid hailed Abdul Wadud's "Camille" in a 2020 feature in the New York Times on music that one could play to make friends fall in love with the cello.
Coon Bid'ness is an album released by Julius Hemphill in 1975 on Arista featuring performances by Hemphill, Baikida Carroll, Abdul Wadud, Phillip Wilson, Arthur Blythe, Barry Altschul and Daniel Zebulon. The final track, "The Hard Blues," was recorded at the same recording session as Hemphill's debut album Dogon A.D.. After Hemphill's death in 1995, Freedom Records re-released the album as a CD under the name Reflections.
Metamorphosis is an album by the jazz group the World Saxophone Quartet released in 1990 on the Elektra/Nonesuch label and features performances by Hamiet Bluiett, Arthur Blythe, Oliver Lake and David Murray with Chief Bey, Melvin Gibbs and Mor Thiam. It was the first album recorded by the group after the departure of foundation member Julius Hemphill and their first to feature additional musicians.
Rejoicing with the Light is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams. It was released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1983 and features performances of five of Abrams' compositions by a fourteen-member orchestra.
Raw Materials and Residuals is an album by jazz saxophonist Julius Hemphill featuring cellist Abdul Wadud and percussionist Don Moye recorded in 1977 for the Italian Black Saint label.
Flat-Out Jump Suite is an album by jazz saxophonist Julius Hemphill recorded in 1980 for the Italian Black Saint label.
Fat Man and the Hard Blues is an album by jazz saxophonist Julius Hemphill recorded in 1991 for the Italian Black Saint label.
Five Chord Stud is an album by jazz saxophonist/composer Julius Hemphill recorded in 1993 for the Italian Black Saint label.
Diminutive Mysteries (Mostly Hemphill) is an album by saxophonist Tim Berne which was recorded in 1992 and released on the JMT label. The album is a tribute to Berne's mentor Julius Hemphill. Alongside Berne's regular band is featured guest David Sanborn, in an outlier among his more mainstream R&B work.
Sideshow is the second album by the jazz group 8 Bold Souls. It was recorded in November 1991 in Chicago, and was released in 1992 by Arabesque Records. The album features performances by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Edward Wilkerson, saxophonist Mwata Bowden, trumpeter Robert Griffin, Jr., trombonist Isaiah Jackson, tubist Aaron Dodd, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Dushun Mosley.
Oakland Duets is a live album by saxophonist Julius Hemphill and cellist Abdul Wadud. It was recorded at the Oakland Museum in Oakland, California, on November 13 and 14, 1992, and was released by Music & Arts in 1993.
Live in New York is a live album by saxophonist Julius Hemphill and cellist Abdul Wadud. Featuring four Hemphill compositions, it was recorded at La MaMa in New York City, on May 28, 1976, and was released by the Italian label Red Records in 1978.
Buster Bee is an album by saxophonists Oliver Lake and Julius Hemphill. Featuring three compositions by each musician, it was recorded at Eastern Sound in Toronto, on March 1, 1978, and was released on vinyl by Sackville Records later that year. In 2001, it was reissued on CD in limited quantities as part of the Sackville Collection series.
Blue Boyé is a solo album by Julius Hemphill. It was recorded at Mayhew Street Studios in Larchmont, New York, during January 1977, and was released on vinyl by Hemphill's own Mbari label later that year as a two-LP set. In 1998, it was reissued on CD by Tim Berne's Screwgun Records. On the album, which features eight original compositions, Hemphill performs all instrumental parts via overdubbing, and is heard on alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, and percussion.
Chile New York: Sound Environment is a live album by saxophonist Julius Hemphill and percussionist Warren Smith. The music was designed as an audio backdrop for a sculpture and poetry installation by Jeff Schlanger and James Scully, the subject of which was the 1973 overthrow of the democratic government in Santiago, Chile. The album was recorded in New York City on May 1, 1980, and was released by the Black Saint label in 1998, three years after Hemphill's death.
Roi Boyé & the Gotham Minstrels is a solo album by Julius Hemphill. Billed as an "audiodrama," it was recorded at Matthew Studios in Larchmont, New York, during November 1976, and at Thunder Sound in Toronto during March 1977, and was released on vinyl by Sackville Records in 1977 as a two-LP set. In 2001, it was reissued on CD in limited quantities as part of the Sackville Collection series. On the album, Hemphill performs all instrumental parts via overdubbing, and is heard on alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, and flute.
