2000 · Album
Contemporary Jazz
Recorded December 1–4, 1999 at Bearsville Sound Studios, Woodstock, New York · Personnel: Branford Marsalis (saxophone), Eric Revis (bass), Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums), Joey Calderazzo (piano) · Awards: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Individual or Group (2000)
Four Players, One Conversation, No Net
A quartet at full throttle—sharp, unpredictable, and plainly in command of itself.
Contemporary Jazz arrives as the ideal entry point to Branford Marsalis because it shows exactly what he does when nothing is being protected or polished for an audience. This is a working band in real time: Branford Marsalis on saxophone, Eric Revis on bass, Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums, and Joey Calderazzo on piano. They recorded it over four days in late 1999, and what you hear is the sound of musicians who have already done the work of knowing each other—no warmup required.
The music swings hard and changes direction on instinct. Watts drives with a hand that feels both precise and somehow loose at the same time; Revis locks the bottom but doesn't sit still; Calderazzo moves between comping and soloing without ceremony; Marsalis blows with the kind of clarity that makes you hear every phrase as a decision. The BBC's ClassicalMusic.com heard it right: "hard-swinging, occasionally volcanic performances from a quartet at the peak of its powers." That "occasionally volcanic" part matters—these aren't fireworks for their own sake. The group knows when to push and when to let a groove breathe.
The album won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance in 2000 and climbed to number twelve on the jazz charts, which means this record moved people beyond the usual circle of hardcore listeners. It's the work of a bandleader confident enough not to dominate his own album. If you want to understand what Marsalis sounds like when he's not carrying the weight of a concept or a moment, this is where to start.
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