Branford Marsalis News

Excitement and fire

Publication: Dayton City Paper
Author: Khalid Moss
Date: September 18, 2012

Branford Marsalis brings jazz passion to Schuster Center

Harlem-born author, James Baldwin, once mused “…There is no music like that music, no drama like the drama of saints rejoicing, the sinners moaning, the tambourines racing, and all those voices coming together and crying holy unto the lord! I have never seen anything to equal the fire and excitement that sometimes, without warning, fills a church, causing the church to rock.”

Baldwin probably never heard jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis race through the chord changes to “Cherokee” but Marsalis’ music crackles with the same “fire and excitement” that can burn a hole through your soul.

The Marsalis family is the gold standard in modern jazz. Led by its patriarch, New Orleans pianist Ellis Marsalis, the family has established a dynasty in the jazz world that is without peer. Branford is the oldest member of the talented musical clan that includes trumpeter Wynton – composer and leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra – the electrifying trombonist Delfeayo and the youngest sibling, drummer Jason.

Branford, born Aug. 26, 1960, heads up the high-energy Branford Marsalis Quartet, a group of musicians that understands the gritty particulars behind a sweeping gesture. Marsalis, as a soloist, has strong and sophisticated ideas. A fiendishly gifted composer, he was nominated and won the 2010 New York Drama Desk award for “Best Music In A Play” and nominated for a 2010 Tony Award for “Best Original Music or Score” for the revival of August Wilson’s “Fences.” Read more »

Submitted by Bobby on September 21st, 2012 — 09:01am

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis to perform at Schuster

Publication: Dayton Daily News
Author: Adam Alonzo
Date: September 20, 2012

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is unconcerned that jazz musicians lack the popularity of mainstream artists.

“I chose to play this music, and I accept all the things that come with that, good, bad and indifferent,” he has said.

For those who envy the success of other musicians, Marsalis offers this advice: “Just shut up and play.”

Marsalis’ career is hardly lacking in success, however. He’s collected three Grammy awards, was nominated for a Tony, and last year was named a Jazz Masters fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts, as were his father and three younger brothers.

Marsalis will appear at the Schuster Center in downtown Dayton on Sunday as part of a tour promoting a new release by his quartet. The record features pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner.

Marsalis offered high praise for the members of his band.

“When you hire people who you feel are talented, 95 percent of the time, they’re gonna play the right thing,” he said. “They know, and they’ve listened to enough music to know what’s gonna make the song work, and you just wait a second, and they’ll hook it up. They always do.”

Read more »
Submitted by Bobby on September 20th, 2012 — 10:22am

Branford Marsalis: Don’t call him an instrumentalist. He’s an MF musician

Publication: IRockJazz.com
Author: Matthew Allen
Date: September 7, 2012

“I don’t use songs as a vehicle to glorify myself. I’m going to play whatever is required to make the song successful.” These are the words of Branford Marsalis. He’s a man that understands that it’s not all about him. Considering the big names he’s played with from Sting to Gang Starr, and all the hit songs he’s played on, it’s a wonder that he hasn’t gotten a big head, but the truth is that in the realm of jazz, it’s easy for some to get caught up in their own ideas and try to show them off to whomever is listening. Marsalis, however, takes no part in that line of thinking, and it’s a main reason why he’s been as successful as he has and why he continues to grow and educate others in that the music is more important than the musician.

Marsalis has long considered himself as a musician rather than as a saxophonist. In his mind, there is a big difference between the two in that a musician is someone that knows what it takes to make a song reach its highest potential, even if it means not playing as fast as one can or as many notes as is possible. “For the instrumentalist, the instrument is the center of their life; for a musician, the music they play is the center of their life,” Marsalis explains to iRockJazz. Read more »

Submitted by Bobby on September 10th, 2012 — 10:35am

Branford Marsalis: Four MFs Playin’ Tunes

Publication: Financial Times
Author: Mike Hobart
Date: August 31, 2012

The sax-and-rhythm quartet’s first studio recording with drummer Justin Faulkner has all the thrills of their live performances
Five Stars

Branford Marsalis’s equal-partners sax-and-rhythm quartet’s first studio recording with young drummer Justin Faulkner has all the thrills of their live performances. Read more »

Submitted by Bobby on September 4th, 2012 — 11:48am

Branford Marsalis: Four MFs Playing Tunes

Publication: JazzWrap
Author: Stephan Moore
Date: August 29, 2012

Branford Marsalis can always be counted on for great album titles in addition to the superb quality of the music (e.g. I Heard You Twice The First Time). With his latest, Four MFs Playing Tunes, I think he might not be able to top himself this time. Yes it is a very striking title, but the music and development of the quartet is sensational.

The core of the group has remained the same for years. The difference now is the refreshing presence of Justin Faulkner. Replacing longtime bandmate, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Faulkner provides an extra boost of energy that the group just absorbs into what was already a very creative and electric force.
Read more »
Submitted by Bobby on August 30th, 2012 — 10:53am