COMPOSERS: Branford Marsalis Quartet
LABELS: Marsalis Music/Universal
ALBUM TITLE: Branford Marsalis Quartet
WORKS: Braggtown
PERFORMER: Branford Marsalis (saxophone), Joey Calderazzo (piano), Eric Revis (bass), Jeff 'Tain' Watts (drums)
CATALOGUE NO: 460 0042
The energy, guts and virtuosity
of this group are in no doubt,
but Braggtown, like so many of
Branford’s earlier records, still
can’t quite muster a stand-alone
individuality. The opening ‘Jack
Baker’, for instance, does the classic
John Coltrane Quartet better than
anyone, but it’s more like a party
trick than an artistic statement. The
three longest tracks are the blowouts,
but for once Marsalis saves his
most effective and striking music for
the ballads. ‘Hope’ is an absorbing
meditation, while a version of
Purcell’s ‘O Solitude’ is almost
painfully pretty. If it’s a mixed bag,
Branford’s force of delivery still asks
the listener to pay attention, even
across a 74-minute CD. It’s too bad,
though, that the hollow-bodied
sound doesn’t serve the admirable
Eric Revis very well. Richard Cook