New Chapter
This album marks 25 years of ebullient productivity by the foremost  saxophone quartet in, well, the world. From dirge hymns (the traditional "Goin' Home," arranged by memberDavid Murray) to the fluid, bop-flavored tandem lines of "Stock" (by memberOliver Lake) to the modernist, key-splitting chords of the title cut (by newest member John Purcell, who takes the place of the deceasedJulius Hemphill), the record is less a career overview than it is a restatement of the group's core principles. Missing are the overt world-music influences, the clever cover tunes, the nods to R&B;, the partnerships with guest musicians. No cultural effluvia here, no tangents--this is the heart of the WS4's mission: taut arrangements, gospel-hued deep blues, ecstatic group improvisation, and ambitious tonal mysticism. As always,Hamiet Bluiett(billed, ominously, with his last name only) keeps his partners rooted with his trademark baritone sax--at least when he isn't raising spirits with his contra-alto clarinet.--Marc Weidenbaum