Detroit saxophonist Dave McMurray will return this November with I Love Life Even When I’m Hurting, his fourth release for Blue Note Records. Out on 14 November, the album stands as a testament to resilience, self-reflection and the enduring creative spirit that has shaped McMurray’s five-decade journey through jazz, R&B and rock.
The project’s title, I Love Life Even When I’m Hurting, captures a mantra McMurray developed after the death of a close friend who had been worn down by illness. “Man, I love life even when I’m hurting,” he reflected. That thought became the heart of the record – an affirmation of hope and persistence in difficult times. “That ended up being the album title, because I kind of wrote songs around that,” McMurray said. “Songs about positivity.”
The first taste of the album arrives with a soulful reimagining of Al Jarreau’s 1975 classic We Got By, featuring vocals by Detroit’s own Kem. The collaboration links two generations of Motor City musicians united by a love of Jarreau’s smooth fusion of jazz and R&B. McMurray and Kem’s connection runs deep – both built their sound from the musical soil of Detroit, and both were inspired by Jarreau’s trailblazing debut. “I listened to his first album all the time,” McMurray said. “From watching Kem progress as a singer, I’ve always had him in mind to sing on my version.”
The track’s official video captures that shared spirit, with McMurray’s warm saxophone tone intertwining with Kem’s silky vocals, bringing a sense of gratitude and grounded emotion to Jarreau’s timeless message of perseverance.
Born in 1958, McMurray grew up on Detroit’s east side, the son of a working-class family who instilled in him a deep love of music and community. His journey began in the city’s rich jazz scene, where he first found his footing before studying Urban Studies and Psychology at Wayne State University. For a time, he worked in mental health, but music always pulled him back. His first major tour was with blues legend Albert King, before returning home to lead his own group, Midnight Sky, and perform with Detroit’s avant-garde collective Griot Galaxy.
By the early 1980s, McMurray had joined the pop-rock outfit Was (Not Was), a group that blurred the lines between funk, jazz, and experimental art-pop. His saxophone became a defining feature across the band’s catalogue, from their 1981 self-titled debut to What Up, Dog? in 1988, home to the hits “Walk the Dinosaur” and “Spy in the House of Love.”
Across the decades, McMurray has built one of the most eclectic résumés in modern music. As a session musician, his horn has appeared alongside The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Brian Wilson and countless others. His first solo release, The Secret Life, appeared in 1989, followed by The Dave McMurray Show in 1996. In the years since, he’s balanced studio work with acclaimed releases such as Music Is Life (2018) and his two jazz tributes to the Grateful Dead, Grateful Deadication (2021) and Grateful Deadication 2 (2023), both issued through Blue Note.
From 2008 to 2016, McMurray was also a key member of Kid Rock’s Twisted Brown Trucker Band, touring the world and bringing his jazz fluency to the rock stage.
On I Love Life Even When I’m Hurting, McMurray wrote six of the nine tracks, co-producing the set with longtime friend and collaborator Don Was. The album was recorded at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak, Michigan, bringing together a handpicked cast of Detroit players, including bassists Don Was and Ibrahim Jones, keyboardists Luis Resto and Maurice O’Neal, guitarist Wayne Gerard, drummer Jeff Canady, percussionist Mahindi Masai and vocalist Herschel Boone.
“Making this album was such a cool project,” McMurray said. “Because everyone on it is somebody that I love.”
The result is a warm, groove-driven collection that celebrates life in all its shades. It’s an album that feels lived-in and real, steeped in the city that raised him and shaped his artistic sensibility.
For Kem, born Kim Lamont Owens in Nashville but raised in Detroit, the project marks another proud moment in his long connection to the city’s musical soul. Kem financed his debut album Kemistry on his own before signing to Motown in 2001. The record went Gold, setting him on a path that would see later albums like Album II (2005) and Intimacy (2010) reach Platinum and Gold status. His collaborations with Stevie Wonder and Toni Braxton have cemented him as one of R&B’s most emotive voices.
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
