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Musician

Branford Marsalis

Born:

Growing up in the rich environment of New Orleans as the oldest son of pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis, Branford was drawn to music along with siblings Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason. His first instrument, the clarinet, gave way to the alto and then the tenor and soprano saxophones when the teenage Branford began working in local bands. A growing fascination with jazz as he entered college gave him the basic tools to obtain his first major jobs, with trumpet legend Clark Terry and alongside Wynton in Art Blakey’s legendary Jazz Messengers. When the brothers left to form the Wynton Marsalis Quintet, the world of uncompromising acoustic jazz was invigorated. Branford formed his own quartet in 1986 and, with a few minor interruptions in the early years, has sustained the unit as his primary means of expression. Known for the telepathic communication among its uncommonly consistent personnel, its deep book of original music replete with expressive melodies and provocative forms, and an unrivaled spirit in both live and recorded performances, the Branford Marsalis Quartet has long been recognized as the standard to which other ensembles of its kind must be measured. Its most recent recording, Four MFs Playin’ Tunes, was named Best Instrumental Jazz Album in 2012 by iTunes.

Album

Belonging

Label: Blue Note Records
Released: 2025
Track listing: Spiral Dance; Blossom; Long As You Know You’re Living Yours; Belonging; The Windup; Solstice.

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Article: Album Review

Branford Marsalis Quartet: Belonging

Read "Belonging" reviewed 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, ...

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Article: Building a Jazz Library

Grateful Dead: Idiosyncratic Improvisationalists

Read "Grateful Dead: Idiosyncratic Improvisationalists" reviewed by Doug Collette


As the Grateful Dead morphed from an eccentric folk-blues group into an eclectic jam juggernaut, the band adopted an idiosyncratic approach to improvisation they would then hone over three decades. Regular shifts of personnel nurtured an ongoing alteration of the Dead's musicianship, as did the growing wealth of original material the group interspersed with a wide ...

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Article: What is Jazz?

Seattle Jazz Fellowship: A New Age In A New Space

Read "Seattle Jazz Fellowship: A New Age In A New Space" reviewed by Paul Rauch


The Seattle Jazz Fellowship, a 501(c)(3) non-profit supporting jazz and jazz culture primarily at the local level, came to life in a backroom bar in the city's arts district on Capitol Hill in October 2021. The city, the nation, the world, was just beginning to fully climb out of the social slumber imposed by the COVID-19 ...

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Article: Interview

Kenny Garrett Speaks Through The Soul of His Jazz

Read "Kenny Garrett Speaks Through The Soul of His Jazz" reviewed by Dean Nardi


Mental bungee-jumping may not be their sport of choice, but a cerebral ledge exists that sooner or later every jazz musician must leap off. One day, ready or not, tuning up or shaking down their instrument, they will glance in a mirror, hug a pregnant mother-to-be, second-line a funeral, walk in the deepest, dark woods, chance ...

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News: Recording

Alex Coke-Carl Michel Sextet Release 'Situation' on Play On Records

Alex Coke-Carl Michel Sextet Release 'Situation' on Play On Records

The Alex Coke-Carl Michel Sextet features Coke (woodwinds) and Michel (guitar) with Elaine Barber (concert harp), Bob Hoffnar (pedal steel guitar), James Suter (acoustic bass) and Carolyn Trowbridge (vibraphone). This distinctive six piece composer’s forum from Austin, Texas, breaks down barriers of musical genres, fearlessly exploring the possibilities involved in combining musicians from diverse musical backgrounds. ...

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Article: Album Review

Kris Davis: Run the Gauntlet

Read "Run the Gauntlet" reviewed by John Sharpe


While Kris Davis hews close to the hallowed piano trio format on Run The Gauntlet, her first return to the set-up since Waiting For You To Grow (Clean Feed, 2014), she inevitably gives it a few intriguing twists. By recruiting bassist Robert Hurst, alumni of Tony Williams, Steve Coleman and Wynton and Branford Marsalis, and drummer ...

Album

Crescent City Jewels

Label: Troubadour Jass
Released: 2024
Track listing: Sidewalk Sizzle; A Sleepin' Bee; Ooh Poo Pah Doo; Basie Moods; Valley of Prayers; El Ultimo Cafe; High Cotton; Summertime; Exactly Like You; Inner Urge; 'Round Midnight; I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free; Basin Street Blues; What a Difference a Day Makes; Intro To Liza; Lil Liza Jane.

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Article: Live Review

Branford Marsalis Quartet at The Triple Door

Read "Branford Marsalis Quartet at The Triple Door" reviewed 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 ...


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