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Branford Marsalis: Belonging

by Thierry De Clemensat
It appears to be that time of year when all musicians with ties to New Orleans unveil their latest albums. This time, we are graced with a release from one of the most illustrious members of the Marsalis family. This remarkably elegant album represents Branford Marsalis and his quartet's vision of Belonging, the seminal record Keith Jarrett recorded in 1974 (ECM). This highly sophisticated reinterpretation borders on an outright rewriting of the original, with the crème de la crème of ...
Continue ReadingBranford Marsalis, Thomas Marriott, Mitch Towne, Lorraine Feather and more

by Benjamin Boddie
Today's Music--Right Now! Fantastic music by Branford Marsalis, Altin Sencalar, Reginald Cyntie, Marianne Solivan, Thomas Marriott, Mitch Towne, Paul Hecht, Lorraine Feather, Eric Alexander, Geoffrey Dean, Jackson Potter, Willie Morris, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Jerry Gimble, Allan Chaubert, Billy Hart, Russ Spiegel, Elaine Dame, MTB, Posi-Tone Swingtet, The Empress, Nnenna Freelon, Rachel Therrien, Yellowjackets, and more. Playlist Branford Marsalis Long As You Know You're Living" from Yours Belonging (Blue Note) 00:00 Altin Sencalar Straight Street" from Unleashed (Posi-Tone Records) ...
Continue ReadingBranford Marsalis Quartet: Belonging

by Mike Jurkovic
For his Blue Note debut, saxophonist Branford Marsalis and his long-standing quartet--pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner--hit the sweet spot again and again and again, reinterpreting and re-imagining Keith Jarrett's epochal 1974 ECM classic, Belonging. Not only did Jarrett introduce the world to his no-holds-barred fear-no-idea European quartet--saxophonist Jan Garbarek, bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer Jon Christensen--he was also in one of the most creative periods of his decades-long illuminating career. Consider the tense free-wheeling drive ...
Continue ReadingBranford Marsalis Quartet at The Triple Door

by Paul Rauch
Branford Marsalis Quartet The Triple Door jny:Seattle, WA December 7, 2024 Gone are the days when the Branford Marsalis Quartet would take residence at Seattle's iconic Jazz Alley, and play nine sets over six nights--a true high point of the annual jazz calendar in the Emerald City. Of course Marsalis is a man with many irons in the fire, thus curtailing to a degree, the frequency of the quartet's appearances on the west coast. It ...
Continue ReadingDelfeayo Marsalis Uptown Jazz Orchestra: Crescent City Jewels

by Jack Bowers
Among the four musically talented Marsalis brothers from New Orleans, Delfeayo is the one who plays trombone. He is also the one who leads the impressive Uptown Jazz Orchestra in Crescent City Jewels, an affable salute to his beloved home town. The playlist spans the gamut from blues to ballads, breezy bon bons to flat-out burners, and the UJO is brightly polished and at ease in every mood and at any tempo. The New Orleans vibe is ...
Continue ReadingBranford Marsalis & Joey Calderazzo: Face on the Barroom Floor

by Scott Lichtman
On Face on the Barroom Floor," the duo of Branford Marsalis and Joey Calderazzo pay tribute to Wayne Shorter by distilling one of Shorter's most beautiful pieces into its essentials. The sentiment might be interpreted as a lovelorn individual drinks himself into forgetfulness. We hope for a happier future for him." Marsalis and Calderazzo take the original arrangement, performed by Weather Report, and leave only the piano and soprano saxophone, playing them plaintively with sparse block chords and a honking ...
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