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Saxophonist
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For the first time in 15 years, Grammy Award-winning
jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis returned to classical
music for his 2001 Sony Classical recording Creation.
Joining Marsalis on Creation is the conductorless American
chamber orchestra Orpheus in performances of music by
early 20th-century French composers, works that resonate
with the then-new phenomenon of American jazz. Marsalis’
newest classical recording attests to the range and
ambition of his restless talent, which has made him,
raved Wes Phillips of onhifi.com, “an innovative
jazz saxophonist who also happens to be a classical
performer with phenomenal technique.”
Creation presents a rare opportunity for Marsalis to
step into the spotlight in the classical repertoire.
The small body of mainstream classical music for saxophone
that does exist is dominated by these French composers,
bridging the gap between the Romantic and Impressionist
styles with uncommonly beautiful and often quite complex
music. Though none of these works tries to be jazz,
each has an expressive freedom that blooms in the hands
of a performer like Branford Marsalis.
For a sax player – who rarely gets big, gratifying
chances in classical music – an encounter of this
kind is a liberating experience. “There are a
lot of classical pieces for saxophone, but there are
not a lot of those pieces that I would enjoy playing,
“Marsalis says. “They become exercises.
They show off the technical possibilities of the instrument,
not the beautiful possibilities. The French were liberated
in their thinking, and they did not hear the saxophone
as a bastard instrument. They believed in things that
are beautiful, and the beauty is undeniable in this
music.”
Several selections on Creation were specially arranged
for the recording. The disc also features Marsalis in
performances of Jacques Ibert’s Concertino da
Camera for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra and Darius Milhaud’s
Le Creation du Monde (The Creation of the World), both
sleek, contemporary pieces that seem tailor-made for
a jazz virtuoso’s exuberant sense of style. Marsalis
acknowledges the experience of playing jazz in his unique
collaboration with Orpheus. “It’s kind of
like jazz, when jazz is good,” he says. “Everybody
has a say in the course and direction of where the music
goes, with the understanding that what matters is the
music. When everybody’s on that page – it’s
magic.”
During the Spring of 2001, Marsalis toured the U.S.
with Orpheus, playing selections from Creation, reaffirming
the remarkable reach of his musical interests, from
pop to jazz to classical. Though he is best known for
his jazz recordings, Marsalis has continued to explore
classical music at the same time. In recent chamber-orchestra
performances of the music of Villa-Lobos and other composers
at the Ravinia Festival, he played, in the words of
the Chicago Tribune, “with a subtlety of tone
and phrasing only the finest interpreters can attain.”
In another chamber-ensemble performance at the Bridgehampton
Chamber Music Festival, Marsalis “demonstrated
unparalleled sensitivity and intelligence,” according
to critic David Swickard. Since the release of Creation,
Marsalis has made room in his busy schedule for such
classical events as the Oklahoma Mozart Festival under
the direction of conductor Ransom Wilson and performances
with the Youngstown, Ohio and the Baltimore Symphony
Orchestras.
Never one to stand still, Marsalis took the bold step
of founding his own Marsalis Music label in 2002, as
a means to ensure the uncompromising presentation of
recorded creative music in a variety of genres. “My
brother Ellis III once pointed out the difference between
those who want to provide a service to the community
and make a profit, and those who just want to make a
profit at the expense of the community,” Branford
explains. “That insight describes perfectly what
Marsalis Music will be about. We want to provide a service
to the music community first. We want to create an atmosphere
where people who make creative music can be heard.”
The point is illustrated perfectly by Footsteps of Our
Fathers, the August 2002 release by the Branford Marsalis
Quartet that serves as the Marsalis Music label’s
debut disc. An uncompromising tribute to four of the
saxophonist’s heroes - Ornette Coleman, Sonny
Rollins, John Coltrane and the Modern Jazz Quartet’s
John Lewis – the disc has been embraced by both
the public and the press, and has appeared on several
“Best of 2002” lists.
The New Orleans native was born into one of the city’s
most distinguished musical families which includes brothers
Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason, and the family patriarch,
pianist/music educator Ellis Marsalis. In 1984, Branford
released Scenes In the City, his first album for Columbia
Jazz, which began his thriving jazz career as a solo
artist. He also made successful forays into the pop
world with artists such as The Grateful Dead, Sting
and Bruce Hornsby.
Branford Marsalis won his first Grammy in 1993 for
Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group,
for his album I Heard You Twice the First Time, and
another in 1994 (Best Pop Instrumental Performance for
“Barcelona Mona,” a single he recorded with
Bruce Hornsby for the Olympics in Spain.) His 1993 trio
album, Bloomington, was hailed as a landmark in contemporary
jazz which Bill Kohlhasse of the Los Angeles Times called
“revealing and beautiful in ways only the best
improvisational music can be.” The 1994 debut
album of Buckshot LeFonque, Marsalis’ unique amalgam
of jazz and hip-hop, similarly broke new musical ground.
In 1995 he was nominated for yet another Grammy, in
the category of Best Pop Instrumental Performance, for
his stirring rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,”
once again teamed with Bruce Hornsby for the soundtrack
of Ken Burns’ memorable PBS series Baseball. The
Dark Keys (1996) was a further step in Marsalis’
jazz explorations, while a second Buckshort album, Music
Evolution, was released in 1997. Marsalis’ recording
Contemporary Jazz – which won the 2001 Grammy
Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album – was described
as his greatest work to date, with Howard Reich of the
Chicago Tribune declaring that Marsalis “achieved
a new level of emotional intensity and instrumental
brilliance.” Contemporary Jazz was Marsalis’
twelfth jazz album in a catalogue of Columbia and Sony
Classical recordings that includes two Buckshot LeFonque
pop albums and an earlier Sony Classical release, Romances
for Saxophone (MK/PMT 42122). Marsalis has also made
his mark as a producer, working with such artists as
Dávid Sanchez (whose albums Obsesión and
Melaza were Grammy nominees for Best Latin Jazz Performance),
Frank McComb and Joey Calderazzo.
Branford Marsalis has not limited his musical activities
to recordings. His presence is notable in a number of
film scores, as both composer and featured soloist.
He wrote, arranged and produced the film score for the
critically acclaimed Showtime movie, Mr. & Mrs.
Loving, starring Timothy Hutton and Lela Rochon. Other
recent scores include the Disney/NBC film Single Dad
and the feature film Once in the Life, which marked
the directorial debut of actor Laurence Fishburne. Marsalis
has also participated in the soundtracks to several
Spike Lee films, including Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm
X and Clockers. Additionally, he contributed to the
soundtracks Sneakers starring Robert Redford and The
Russia House starring Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Today, Marsalis is shaping the future of jazz in the
classroom. He recently took a part-time position with
San Francisco State University as part of their music
faculty. This follows a similar association with Michigan
State University, where Marsalis taught, first as a
visiting scholar and then as a part-time faculty member.
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Branford
Marsalis
