Composer and reedman Julius Hemphill played the alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, and clarinet. A prominent figure in the jazz avant garde, Hemphill had a restless experimental spirit, which was reflected in both his writing and his choice of projects. Born and raised in Texas, Hemphill joined the army for a time in the early 1960s, then moved to St. Louis where he formed the Black Artists’ Group, an artist collective, before moving to New York City in the mid ‘70s. There Hemphill joined the thriving free jazz scene, playing with such figures as Anthony Braxton and Lester Bowie. In 1976 he formed the World Saxophone Quartet with Oliver Lake, Hamiet Bluiett, and David Murray, a critical and commercially successful group that remained central to Hemphill’s activities until the early ‘90s. Hemphill continued to compose and record prolifically until his death in 1995.