Dogon A.D.

rdf:langString Dogon A.D.

rdf:langString Dogon A.D.

rdf:langString DogonADcover.jpg

rdf:langString Julius Hemphill

rdf:langString February 1972; Archway Studios, St. Louis

rdf:langString 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. The title of the album stems from Hemphill's fascination with the art and culture of the Dogon people of West Africa. "A.D." refers to the Dogon's "adapted dance," in which they modified some of their ceremonies with the goal of presenting them to Western visitors. According to author Benjamin Looker, several of the musicians who were scheduled to participate in the recording session, fellow members of the Black Artists Group (BAG), failed to show up, leaving Hemphill with a quartet. In addition, some of the recording equipment failed to work properly. Despite these challenges, the group managed to produce what Looker called "an almost accidental classic." He wrote: "that February day in the studio, with the malfunctioning equipment and the truant musicians, stands proxy for the individual creative energy released and replenished by BAG. The Dogon A.D. project turned out to be emblematic of the collective's musical program, embodying both an economic and an aesthetic rejoinder to the era's social and musical challenges."