Customer Reviews

The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is a sampler platter of post-bop musical styles, and Branford, Tain, and Robert Hurst pull each approach off beautifully. The highlight for me is the title track, a gorgeous, mournful, Coltrane-inspired meditation. The playing on this record is, of course, phenomenal. If you like this album, check out their live renditions of these tunes on "Bloomington". Amazing.

This record, along with Branford's "Trio Jeepy," "Bloomington," and "The Dark Keys" will make for an absolutely essential boxed set one day. But this record is the crown jewel of these complex, highly swinging, and fiercely beautiful albums. This is improvisatory interaction at its crisp and passionate best. Marsalis, Watts, and Hurst deliver outstanding performances, and their experience as a working band shows here. These guys are practically breathing each other's air.

Breathtaking balladry, playful blueses, and clarity of thought dominate this album.

Do not pass this up (unless, like the above reviewer, you can actually stomach Kenny G)

If you like good jazz "in the tradition," this is a must for any jazz collector. "Roused About" has a great monkish feel to it (named after one of Monk's tenor players). "The Beautyful Ones" is a sublime ballad, and reminds me of Coltrane's meditative pieces like "Alabama"-- but very "operatic" in some sense. The musical approach is largely free, and emotionally tense, but not necessarily atonal (think 60's Miles Davis, not Ornette Coleman). If you are into Kenny G, don't buy this album-- this is real jazz-- not instrumental pop!

To intend qualify the level of creative effervescence and sumptuous expression that labels and features this album from start to finish, I should submit as sublime. This is a reference album that must be included in your collection. The genial outburst of Brandford Marsalis overcomes all the best praises I might find.

Artistic inspiration, musical freshness and extraordinary mastery are enough motives that plainly justify your inversion, Don't miss it!

I have never seen in me the right to comment, let alone criticise, about either recorded music or the recording musicians. Yet, the only review I read on a URL associated with Branford Marsalis's 'Beautiful Ones' urged me to my keyboard for the sake of fairness.

This album is by far the best of Mr. Marsalis and his fellow jazzmen, Bob Hurst and Tain Watts. Tunes ringing in my mind, I can go as far as to argue that this little ensemble of a trio is one of the most elegant of modern music and can hardly be heard to its best on any other CD. I cannot imagine a serious Brandford Marsalis listener having missed this one out.

Totally intriguing.

This is Branford at his very best! Starting with the spectacular "Roused About" this album spreads its wings, like the bird on the cover, and FLIES! Needless to say, this is a MUST-HAVE for those who love JAZZ in particular and JAZZ TRIOS in particular. GET IT!!

Although one cannot deny it is a top-notch music-making, this recording might be too abstract for some people's taste. The compositions are harmonically free and rhythmically loose reminding me of late Coltrane. I just wish there were a few tracks that are more straightforward or emotionally loaded.

While lolli-pop music is down on her knees lapping up the putrefaction from the Viper Room floor, there's a snapping subpopular crackle coming down from the shadier side of Sunset. 'The Beautyful Ones' is appropriately quick, clean & untitivated jazz, and by that very first pitch of Charlie's Rousted About, you will call it coarse music made only for crazy people, or you will call it crazy people music make just for me.

Hope may float, and Hope may spring, but only true love can surf through a wedding ring.

I'd heard Branford play on other cds (Russia House Soundtrack and with Sting) and I liked Wynton and Ellis Marsalis's music so I assumed I'd like this. Not the case. This is for diehard fans only. I like jazz, but this is just a little too much. I hate to say it, but I guess I need a little more Kenny G-ish music. This is hard core jazz.