Saxophonist (tenor and alto) Branford Marsalis, born in 1960, is the oldest of the six Marsalis brothers, sons of Delores Ferdinand Marsalis and pianist Ellis Marsalis, Jr. Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis shot to stardom faster. Both played with Art Blakely, and Branford played in the first ensemble headlined by Wynton (1982-85), then played in Sting's backup band, with the Grateful Dead, with Dead's pianist Bruce Hornsby, toured with Miles Davis's last ensembles, and was music director for the "Tonight Show" from 1992-1995.

"Scenes of the City" (1984) is the first of 24 (to date) discs headlined by Branford Marsalis, three of which have won Grammies (Barcelona Mona, Contemporary Jazz, I Heard You Twice The First Time). It was a very impressive debut. Like Wynton, Branford was intimately familiar with the whole history of jazz. Wynton played in the 1989 revival of Charles Mingus's magnum opus (two-hour-long) "Epitaph." Branford made his own version Mingus's "Scenes of the City" the title track of his first album.

Narrator Wendell Pierce (who had been a classmate of Branford's) invokes the Mingus era, the 1950s during which black jazz lovers lived uptown (Harlem) and hung downtown (Greenwich Village) with blues in the heart, bop in the head. After some period sounds from Marsalis, the muted trumpet of John Longo provides some blues reminiscent of Miles Davis of the mid-1950s. Trombonist Robin Eubanks carries the piece back to Harlem to "relax and be cool." This intention is frustrated by a shared toilet being occupied. The gods of 1950s jazz are named and emulated: "Bird, Bud, Miles, JJ, Blanton, Max" by the whole ensemble, followed by "I LOVE jazz music" and a saxophone display. At the end, there is an invocation of a "REAL woman." Whether the footsteps that follow are her walking in or walking away is open to listener interpretation!

"Scenes of the City" includes the sounds of footsteps, a toilet flushing, and lots of speaking. It commands attention rather than providing ambient sound.

"No Sidestepping" bears close listening, too, for Branford's swinging tenor solos, but is more mellow. Pianist Mulgrew Miller provides an equally swinging solo following the tenor saxophonist (after Marvin Smith has a drum solo), and then Marsalis de facto accompanies Miller.

My favorite track is the last one, the pensive "Parable," written by Kenny Kirkland. Marsalis plays very bluesy soprano sax in this slow and poignant (but not self-pitying or lachrymose) piece (with Kirkland on piano being an accompanist).

The longest track, "Solstice" is an homage to John Coltrane ("Equinox" in particular) with Marsalis emulating Coltrane in "setting up a melodic figure and dissecting it with implicit scales. During a solo section by Mulgrew Miller (emulating Miles Davis of the mid-1950s), Marsalis switches from tenor to soprano saxophone. I'm less convinced that the piece is "driving" than liner-note writer A. B. Spellman (whom I just quoted). What I hear is more like epicycles than any forward movement.

Kirkland impresses me on "Solstice," and even more on "Waiting for Tain" (not "Trane" as one might expect, especially following on "Solstice"). Branford really cuts loose and shows his virtuosity (on soprano saxophone) in this frantic ride.

Sonny Rollins is invoked in the pianoless (trio-Marsalis on tenor sax, Ron Carter on bass, Marvin Smith on drums) opening track, "No Backstage Pass," which has been growing on me in repeated listenings. I like the percussion work in the last minute and a half, the boppish final saxophone solo, and the plaintive opening one (which is not lacking in virtuosic saxophone playing),. I am less enthusiastic about the up-tempo middle (from just before the 1:30 mark to about the 5-minute mark). This is a statement of my taste, not a criticism of the playing of Marsalis et al., which is outstanding across the disc.


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© 2008, Stephen O. Murray

Tracks and Timings

No Backstage Pass 6:48
Scenes In The City 5:52
Solstice 8:57
Waiting For Tain 6:51
No Sidestepping 7:00
Parable 5:33

Total: 41 minutes

This is another part of my delving into the M's of the music CDs of the San Francisco Main Library as part of Laurashrti's National Library Week writeoff.




Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening