New Year’s Eve, 31 December 2019, the Branford Marsalis Quartet, https://www.branfordmarsalis.com, will be doing two shows at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. in the Terrace Theater. If you are a fan of this simply amazing quartet, I hope you have your tickets because the 9:00 is sold out, and only 1 ticket remains for the 7:00. It is reserved for those in need of barrier free seating access.
Brandford Marsalis Quartet
Like most jazz superstars (actually most serious jazz musician of any caliber) Mr. Marsalis has been involved in many projects over the years. However, his working/touring/recording quartet is truly remarkable, for many things, but perhaps most importantly their longevity. Saxophonist Brandford Marsalis, Pianist Joey Calderazzo, and bassist Eric Revis have been together for more than twenty years, quite a good run. The baby of the group, drummer Justin Faulkner, https://www.moderndrummer.com/article/january-2010-tour-stage-making-work-road/, joined in 2009 at the age of 18, replacing a living legend behind the drum kit, Jeff “Tain” Watts.
The last time I heard this quartet live was at the final evening of this year’s Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, https://www.facebook.com/midatlanticjazzfest/. As with many jazz festivals, often headliners will perform with “pick-up” groups including many talented local musicians rather than with the their regular working bands. This was certainly true of singer Jazzmeia Horn at her 2018 Mid-Atlantic debut or Joey Alexander at this year’s DC Jazzfest. But that evening Mr. Marsalis brought this tight-knitted ensemble to Rockville, MD, and it showed (or should I say it heard). While there were some very fined performances earlier in the evening, the cohesiveness of this quartet was nearly mind-blowing. I was amazed at how adeptly they could swing from near avant-garde improvisation to carefully composed musical compositions. They could switch tempos, switch keys, transition from hard-bop to ballads and back again, all in true sync with each other.
The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul
So this concert is New Year’s Eve, and it is that time of year for “best of” lists. I don’t do them, because there are more than a top ten or even 25. What’s best to me may be unlistenable to others or vice versa. But other do, including JazzTimes magazine, https://jazztimes.com/features/lists/year-in-review-top-50-albums-2019/. Calculated from “best of” lists by their writers (including WPFW’s Willard Jenkins), they named the Branford Marsalis Quartet’s The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul the best of 2019. Who am I to argue with those far more prestigious and accomplished than I. It is certainly a great album, from which I played Dance of the Evil Toys on my last show, and from which I will select another tune for my New Year’s Day, year in review special from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. on WPFW 89.3 FM.
If you have tickets for the 7:00 p.m. show, maybe I will see you there, and if your back to the land of the living by mid-afternoon, tune in to WPFW 89.3 FM.
And, a happy New Year to all my loyal listeners and followers.
