Upward Spiral Branford Marsalis Quartet with Kurt Elling

• 1 There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York 05:24
• 2 Blue Gardenia 04:36
• 3 From One Island to Another 06:05
• 4 Practical Arrangement 09:47
• 5 Doxy 03:53
• 6 I'm a Fool to Want You 03:03
• 7 West Virginia Rose 02:31
• 8 Só Tinha de Ser Com Você 03:41
• 9 Momma Said 02:46
• 10 Cassandra Song 08:31
• 11 Blue Velvet 03:46
• 12 The Return (Upward Spiral) 07:19
• 13 Long as You're Living (Bonus Track) 08:45
• Total Runtime 01:10:07

Info zu Upward Spiral

Jazzgrößen, die nicht unterschiedlicher sein könnten: Branford Marsalis, der spontane, provokante Saxophonist mit seinem legendären Quartett und der herausragende, technisch kontrollierte Sänger Kurt Elling. Doch es sind genau diese Gegensätze, die die Musiker dazu verleitet haben, das erste Mal ein gemeinsames Album aufzunehmen. Mit einem All-Star-Repertoire, das von Werken von Nat King Cole, über Abbey Lincoln, Antonio Carlos Jobim bis zu Sting reicht, verstehen die beiden, sich musikalisch vollends zu ergänzen. Dabei übernimmt das Saxophon genauso melodiöse Parts wie Ellings Stimme, die im Gegenzug jedes Instrument nachzuahmen vermag.

""Upward Spiral" heißt das Werk, innerhalb von drei Tagen mit dem Sänger Kurt Elling im Studio des Ellis Marsalis Center for Music eingespielt. Schmucklos, schnörkellos. Gut." (Rondo)

"Keine Frage: [Branford Marsalis] ist einer der besten und bekanntesten Saxofonisten seiner Zeit." (Crescendo)

"Der Sänger Kurt Elling und der Saxophonist Branford Marsalis sind sich in den letzten Jahren des Öfteren begegnet, unterwegs, bei Auftritten und Tourneen. Als Branford Marsalis vorschlug, eine gemeinsame CD aufzunehmen, musste Kurt Elling nicht lange überlegen. Und so dauerte es auch nicht länger als eine Woche, bis die CD "im Kasten" war. Die Sessions und Proben in New Orleans waren zum Teil öffentlich. Und so haben die Aufnahmen auch den Charakter eines Live-Auftritts. Von keiner Seite spürt man weder Star-Allüren, noch besitztumswahrende Ansprüche oder irgendwelche Vorbehalte, die Aufnahmen wirken vom ersten bis zum letzten Ton wie aus einem Guss. [...] Branford Marsalis vermeidet das Wort "collaboration", weil es für ihn eine dritte Sache bezeichnet, die als Resultat aus zwie anderen Dingen entsteht. Ihm ging es ganz einfach darum, Kurt Ellings Stimme als fünftes Instrument in das Quartett zu integrieren. Das Einfache, das so schwer zu realisieren ist hier ist es perfekt gelungen." (Jazzpodium)

Branford Marsalis, Saxophones
Joey Calderazzo, Klavier
Eric Revis, Bass
Justin Faulkner, Schlagzeug
Kurt Elling, Gesang

Branford Marsalis
From his initial recognition as a young jazz lion, he has expanded his vision as an instrumentalist, composer, bandleader and educator, crossing stylistic boundaries while maintaining an unwavering creative integrity. In the process, he has become an avatar of contemporary artistic excellence winning three Grammy Awards, a Tony nomination for his work as a composer on Broadway, a citation by the National Endowment for the Arts as Jazz Master, and a 2021 Primetime EMMY nomination for the score he composed for the Tulsa Burning documentary.

His first instrument, the clarinet, gave way to the alto and then the tenor and soprano saxophones when the teenage Branford began working in local bands. A growing fascination with jazz as he entered college gave him the basic tools to obtain his first major jobs, with trumpet legend Clark Terry and alongside Wynton in Art Blakey’s legendary Jazz Messengers. When the brothers left to form the Wynton Marsalis Quintet, the world of uncompromising acoustic jazz was invigorated. Branford formed his own quartet in 1986 and it remains his primary performance vehicle. The Quartet has established a rare breadth of stylistic range, as demonstrated on the band’s last release: The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul. Known for the telepathic communication among its uncommonly consistent personnel, its deep book of original music replete with expressive melodies and provocative forms, and an unrivaled spirit in both live and recorded performances, the Branford Marsalis Quartet has long been recognized as the standard to which other ensembles of its kind must be measured.

Branford formed the Marsalis Music label in 2002, and under his direction it has documented his own music, talented stars such as Miguel Zenón, and un-heralded older masters including one of Branford’s teachers, the late Alvin Batiste. Branford has also shared his knowledge as an educator. He enjoys working with students and has formed an extended relationship with North Carolina Central University where he has been teaching for the past eighteen years. He has also taught at Michigan State University and San Francisco State University and continues to conduct workshops throughout the world.

As for other public stages, Branford spent a period touring with Sting, collaborated with the Grateful Dead and Bruce Hornsby, served as Musical Director of The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno and hosted National Public Radio’s widely syndicated Jazz Set. The range and quality of these diverse activities established Branford as a familiar presence beyond the worlds of jazz and classical music, while his efforts to help heal and rebuild New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina mark him as an artist with an uncommonly effective social vision.

Together with Harry Connick, Jr. and New Orleans Habitat for Humanity, Branford conceived and helped to realize The Musicians’ Village, a community in the Upper Ninth Ward that provides homes to the displaced families of musicians and other local residents. The centerpiece of the Village is the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, honoring Branford’s father. The Center uses music as the focal point of a holistic strategy to build a healthy community and to deliver a broad range of services to underserved children, youth and musicians from neighborhoods battling poverty and social injustice. In January 2024, following in his father’s footsteps, Branford was appointed Artistic Director at the Center and in this capacity, he will shape the artistic trajectory and steer the organization's creative vision for the future.

Booklet für Upward Spiral