It is no
secret that the Branford Marsalis Quartet can be as freewheeling off the
bandstand as in performance. Saxophonist
Branford Marsalis, and his Quartet made up of pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist
Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner are each bold personalities with strong
opinions, equally intense in both musical and verbal exchanges. “The band talks
about all kinds of things, many of which are unprintable,” Marsalis admits.
“But we have serious musical debates as well.” One of these exchanges led to
Upward Spiral, the new album from the Branford Marsalis Quartet with special
guest Kurt Elling. The album will be released via OKeh Records on June 10,
2016.
“One topic
we got into was picking the best singer to work with our band,” Marsalis
recalls. “My candidate was Kurt Elling, because he has the most flexible voice
around, is always in tune and is a true jazz musician. When I met Kurt two
years ago at a Thelonious Monk Institute competition, we had a conversation at
the bar about doing a record together.”
“I had
bumped into Branford on the road a handful of times, and we always had
significant conversations,” Elling adds.
“So when he mentioned making a record, I said ‘any time!’”
What has
emerged, after an intense week of performance and recording in New Orleans, is
a collection that blends Songbook staples, jazz standards, and standards-to-be
from a diverse array of composers.
The goal
from the outset was to create a true partnership. “I usually reject the word
`collaboration,’ Marsalis explains, “because it implies a third thing from that
which each collaborator does well. I don’t need a collaborator to do what I
normally do, and Kurt doesn’t, either. But this time, none of us were going to
do what we normally do. The goal here,
even though he sings lyrics, was to highlight Kurt’s voice as an instrument.”
Elling was
more than prepared for the challenge. “I love singing with a hard-hitting
band,” he confirms. “I didn’t want Branford’s band to feel that it had to hold
back because a singer was there. To be
welcomed into the Quartet’s circle, which is all about new challenges and hard
blowing, was very important to me. When I asked Branford what to bring about a
week before the date, he said `Don’t worry, you’ve got the thing.’ So I brought
`the thing.’
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