Customer Reviews

Royal Garden Blues

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Branford exibits total mastery of all that came before him. Not content to simply rely on those old cliche bebop runs, he exhibits the rare ability to create new and beautiful melodic variations on each melody. And by the way, the piano playing is SPECTACULAR!

If you would like to hear the classic be-bop style taken to the cleaners, this album is for you. I was lucky enough to be a jobbing musician in the early eighties. One night we were playing The Upstairs at Ronnie Scott's club in London, and I was allowed into the main club to see the act appearing that evening. It just happened to be the Wynton Marsalis quintet... lucky me!
From that moment, Brandford's playing especially seemed to speak to me, and this recording is a beautiful example of his precocity and wit. The assured and already quite brilliant teqhnique is displayed relentlessly, but even at this relatively young age, a wisdom of emotion and maturity is also there as perfect counterpoint.
The other players, both old and young have perfectly matching pedigrees, and some true greatness ensues.
Does humour belong in music? I think so, and from the sheer exuberance of the title track [an old N'Orleans standard for the uninitiated] I think Mr. B's gonna be agreeing with me.

For those that know jazz, and equally for those that don't... if you don't already have it... then BUY IT

I think that this I Branford Marsalis' second solo relase, and it continues the early 80's trend that the Marsalis brothers set of following the modern jazz of the 60's (Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, et al). This CD includes a set of swing tunes, Swinging at the Haven and Royal Garden Blues, which are standard fair though executed well. There is a drum vehicle at the end (featuring drummer, Tain Watts) which is a throwback to Coltrane's "Drum Thing" from Crescent. Gershwin's "Strike up the Band" is given a Hawkins' type treatment in which the melody is barely discernable (after all why waste time on the head when Branford could be burning up a solo"). However, the highlights are the ballads Dienda and Shadows. Marsalis' execution is exceptional with varied textures and dynamics on all of the long notes. The influence of Shorter is clear with Marsalis reminding us of classics such as "Infant Eyes". If this album had been released in the 60's, we would surely be hearing of the ballads on this album as standards.

Let's face it; you don't want to hear Coltrane or Rollins all the time! Listen to 50s' Blue Note or Prestige tenor albums for about a week and listen to an album like this - it would be like breathing fresh air.

In this album, the improvisation is endlessly creative. Branford's tone is constantly attractive, sometimes with feather-like lightness, sometimes with full-round tone (but without heaviness). The ballads are heart-felt and graceful - you almost feel like you are listening to a piece of classical music. Up-tempo tracks have the kind of flamboyancy that makes you tip-toe.

This is the first of Branford's albums I ever heard. I am determined to buy some more.