Prolific tenor saxophonist David Murray explores heartrending socio-political territory on "Sacred Ground" by musically addressing the "ethnic cleansing" of African-American communities following the Civil War. Murray is a brawny blower who delivers dark-toned musings and high-pitched wails as the storytelling sage whose commentary is riveting and soulful. He's particularly powerful with his distressed bass clarinet lines on the centerpiece track "Banished," an anguished lament with a stormy rhythm section. Bookending the seven-track collection are two vocal numbers, the charged title track and the slow-walking blues "Prophet of Doom," with Cassandra Wilson giving dark-roast voice to writer Ishmael Reed's poignant poetry. Pianist Lafayette Gilchrist makes an impressive debut in the quartet (replacing the late John Hicks) with his blues-steeped syncopated rhythms and ripe lyricism, especially on the upbeat "Transitions." —Dan Ouellette