| Dances and Ballads | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | World Saxophone Quartet |
| Cover: | Dances and Ballads.jpg |
| Released: | 1988 |
| Recorded: | April 1987 |
| Genre: | Jazz |
| Length: | 47:59 |
| Label: | Elektra/Nonesuch |
| Producer: | Robert Hurwitz |
| Prev Year: | 1986 |
| Next Title: | Rhythm and Blues |
| Next Year: | 1990 |
Dances and Ballads is an album by the jazz group the World Saxophone Quartet, released in 1988 and featuring performances by Hamiet Bluiett, Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake and David Murray.
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars, stating, "This is an underrated release, recorded between their better-known Plays Duke Ellington and Rhythm and Blues CDs."[1]
The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings commented: "There's a broader big-band sound to Dances and Ballads, achieved without the addition of outsiders... there's a fine version of David Murray's Pres tribute, 'For Lester'... and Oliver Lake's 'West African Snap', 'Belly Up', and 'Adjacent' are among the best of his recorded compositions."