Jazz Articles about Branford Marsalis

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Branford Marsalis: Eternal & The Steep Anthology

by Russ Musto
February 9, 2005

Taken together these two CDs chronicle Branford Marsalis' 20-year recording career as a leader, documenting his ascent as one of the most recognized artists of his generation. There is much excellent music on both discs, but because they are so fundamentally different in temperament it is very likely that many fans who are totally enthralled with one will feel much less so about the other. Eternal , the saxophonist's most recent release on Marsalis Music, while not a ballads record ...

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Branford Marsalis: It's All About the Band

by Russ Musto
January 12, 2005

Branford Marsalis is one of this music's most recognizable figures. The eldest brother of jazz's first family, he's been an honored constituent of the community since first joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1980. As a member of the Wynton Marsalis Quintet, saxophonist with Sting and director of the Tonight Show band he has been at the center of much media controversy, but it is as a leader of his own quartet that he has truly made his mark. Now ...

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Branford Marsalis Quartet Performs Coltrane's A Love Supreme Live in Amsterdam

by John Kelman
November 16, 2004

Branford Marsalis Quartet Coltrane's A Love Supreme Live in Amsterdam Marsalis Music 2004 It takes a lot of gumption to tackle a classic like John Coltrane's A Love Supreme , and saxophonist Branford Marsalis has chosen to do it not once, but twice; first on the '02 CD release, Footsteps of Our Fathers and now on his first live DVD, Coltrane's A Love Supreme Live in Amsterdam. It demonstrates just how ...

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Coltrane's A Love Supreme: Live in Amsterdam

by Jim Santella
November 12, 2004

Branford Marsalis Quartet Coltrane's A Love Supreme: Live in Amsterdam Marsalis Music 2004 Branford Marsalis' extended performance of “A Love Supreme" provides his audience with 49 minutes of continuous improvisation. Memorable to all dedicated jazz listeners, John Coltrane's repeated theme occupies the quartet's focus throughout this heartfelt celebration. Marsalis revs it up. He reaches deep inside himself to communicate with the jazz spirits. Cascading furiously and swinging hard through most ...

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Branford Marsalis Quartet: Eternal

by John Kelman
September 23, 2004

When you hear that an artist is doing a ballad record, the first thing that comes to mind is “accessible product, commercial album for the masses." And, truth be told, some records seem to fit that description perfectly--Michael Brecker's Nearness of You: The Ballad Book , for example, sported an ace team of players but was ultimately unsatisfying featherweight music best suited as background dinner fare. This year, however, has seen two ballad albums with loftier ambitions: Joe Lovano's I'm ...

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Branford Marsalis Quartet: Eternal

by Jim Santella
September 21, 2004

Branford Marsalis is a deeply romantic artist. His isn't the kind of Pollyanna disposition, where everything seems rosy and bright no matter what others may think. Maybe Jay Leno's viewers had that misconception. No, this Marsalis is a deep thinker who respects his relationships with others enough to consider their intellect while baring his soul. This was evident on Requiem as well as Romare Bearden Revealed , and it holds true for Eternal.

With a trio of his ...

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Branford Marsalis: Eternal

by Mark F. Turner
September 9, 2004

It takes skill to perform a jazz ballad effectively. It's one thing to burn notes with rapid-fire precision, yet another to explore the intricacies of slower ones. Not only is the music a factor, but the dynamics of mood, style, and emotion also come into play. There have been many jazz ballad recordings and now one of today's foremost saxophonists, Branford Marsalis, gives his spin with Eternal. Consisting of seven compositions with unique contributions from each member ...