Branford Marsalis Quartet - Marvelous!

The Branford Marsalis Quartet performed an evening of cool & contemporary jazz along with surprising arrangements and older jazz standards.  The concert was held at Sonoma State University (SSU).   Judy Sakaki, SSU Pres., welcomed the audience giving special thanks to our firefighters & first responders and expressed support for our community.  Branford Marsalis (BM) also paid tribute to our local heroes.  BM has led a very interesting & illustrious career as a jazz & classical saxophonist, composer, arranger and band leader.  He's won a Grammy for "Contemporary Jazz" ('10) and received a Tony nom. for Best Original Score for "Fences" the same year.  In addition to performing with his brother Wynton, BM has accompanied legendary jazz artists Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis.  The BM Quartet released their latest album "The Secret between the Shadow and the Soul" earlier this year.  The first 2 numbers of the set were from the album: "Cianna" and "The Snake Hip Waltz" composed by Eric Revis who played the bass.  Justin Faulkner was sensational on drums and Joey Calderazzo on piano was astounding.  He proved competent playing & chewing gum simultaneously.  BM showed amazing virtuosity on both soprano & alto sax.  He joked the set-up placed him too close together "and I'm not that sure I like you guys enough."  The jest was a jab at the erroneous staging that squished the quartet on top of each other.  BM admitted having a cold which might explain his extended breaks from playing on every number.  The trio carried the jazz but BM's playing gave the compositions excitement &  luster.   "The Snake Hip Waltz" was my favorite piece.  It had 3 distinctive sections all having surprising rests that accentuated a syncopated tempo.  It began with a slithering flow, the middle had a menacing cadence in a lower key with an underlying bass.  The end section highlighted BM's trilling sound which morphed into an innovative rendition of "My Funny Valentine."  Other than the 2 recent recordings the Quartet played classic standards from the 1930s & 40s including an irresistible interpretation of I. Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek" and Sidney Bechet's "Petite Fleur" with an old-time New Orleans aesthetic.  The Quartet played a Bossa nova from a tour requested in Brazil despite forewarning of gringoizing their sound.  True to form,  BM's sexy Bossa nova morphed into a jazzy rendition of Ellington's "Don't Mean a Thing."  The concert was an exuberant performance.  Every number was a precious jewel.  Perhaps the Quartet will perform more of their own compositions versus more jazz classics of the mid 20th C. Jazz is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get.  It's all good!