Search - Branford Marsalis :: Contemporary Jazz

Music with some class

Bandy | Singapore | 08/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Branford has been the most consistent player for nearly 20 years. His strength of tone, musical conviction and dynamic personality have made him one of the most highly acclaimed figures in modern jazz.In this album, you can hear Branford playing from the fiery hardbopping to the very elegiac ballad, , a heartfelt farewell to the world greatest pianist, Kenny Kirkland. Joey Calderazzo is the pianist, for this album. I always used to have doubts for Calderazzo to be a fulfilling musician with depth, like I have heard him playing with Micheal Brecker and George Garzone where he seems to be very stiff in his playing although all the notes he played are correct.He doesn't seems to have a kind of pacing or movement, many bland chops and playing like many people had mentioned before, a "talented Berkely student". Forget about that, in this album, hear the matured Joey Calderazzo with those fine touches on the piano, romance with beautiful harmonies and lyrical voices are played like never before (heard that in Requiem).The track Requiem showcase that Calderazzo's ability to be a player quite like Kenny Kirkland, a liquid player.Calderazzo has improved dramatically as a musician, you can hear the contrast in his own playing, in the Micheal Brecker's album . After all, K.Kirkland is still the irreplaceable K.Kirkland... What I like about Tain is his ability to play high combustion drum patterns like Elvin Jones in the modern bop music and those majestic classical orchestral backings in Ballad music, truely remarkable. And Eric Revis is Branford's best bassist since Robert Hurst, his instinct for the right propulsive run of notes have given his band a stronger legs to stand on.This is a gifted quartet by God. is the song that touches me greatly, when you hear that, you can feel joy, happiness and sadness. At the beginning of his solo, Branford evokes Coltrane's , a very solemn start of the solo.The music rise and fall of the chordal cycle lifts Branford from the gravity of the dirge.The music ends with a heartstopping pause inbetween, continues with the last variation of the written head return, and the last chord that that gave a lost finallity like: for the last day of someone's life to fulfill an important task. A mournful tribute to the great K.Kirkland.It's really hard to describe in words how this album goes, but from the great ballads like and and modern bops like or Tain's creative and playful that shifted from dixieland swing to blues to gosel, ending with a hidden track played in the cool style of Ben Webster, sure the music speaks loud and clear.If people out there wanna listen to music with depth and some class, please run to the store and get it, don't walk!"

Would be better without Joey Calderazzo.

john lucey | Philadelphia PA | 03/29/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The playing of Branford and Jeff "Tain" Watts is outstanding on this disc. The compositions are really good. Unfortunately, Joey Calderazzo passed his "audition" with Branford somehow, and he is unfortunately part of his quartet now. Amazingly, this CD also won a grammy award this year, ahead of some albums that are much better, including Dave Holland's Prime Directive, a really great disc compared to this one."

Still Burnin'

Bandy | 08/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think the best way to describe this CD as a listener very familiar with Mr. Marsalis' work is CHALLENGING, in a good way however. The CD's opener "In the Crease," is a compositionaly triumph. Marsalis combines odd meters with a mesmerizing melody.Other songs, like "Requiem" for instance, made me feel quite pensive while "Tain's Mutiny" is a thrill a minute. Marsalis and drummer Watts have definitely developed some sort of telepathic ability after all those years of playing together and you can hear it time and again on this record. I also really enjoyed the song "Contronious Rex"--very soulful. Overall, this album seems to pick up where Marsalis' phenomenal record "Requiem" from 1999 left off. The main difference is that pianist Joey Calderazzo is now filling the piano chair left vacant by the late Kenny Kirland but it certainly sounds like Calderazzo has really found his space in the quartet.This album is a "must-have" for fans of Marsalis..."