Returning to roots

Branford Marsalis is an interesting character. He’s no jazz purist who argues that jazz ended when Coltrane started with more abstract styles in the mid-1960s. His modern-mainstream with brother Wynton on Black codes from the underground is exquisite. He’s recorded hip-hop-funk and with a music history theme with Buckshot LeFonque, and sophisticated pop with Sting. Branford is a man for all seasons. His performance on the recent tour was a return to roots, with walking bass, hard swinging drums reminiscent of Art Blakey (who he also played with), and even visitations to baroque music. It was a wonderful display of musicianship.

Branford toured with his quartet, comprising Eric Revis on bass, Joey Calderazzo on piano and Justin Faulkner on drums. I took me a while to settle in. I kept thinking of the style: walking bass seems somewhat passé these days and this was mostly in that hard swinging style. But I love that style so I succumbed easily enough, and the inventive playing was fabulously capable. I especially enjoyed Branford himself, and young gun Justin, who was celebrating his 19th birthday on the day of the concert (hard to believe given his musical maturity). Branford joshed with Justin (you can have a second solo because it’s your birthday) but also with the audience. It was a relaxed and jokey Branford who spoke directly and often and made for a friendly event.

But what of the playing? It was mostly hard ahead swinging in a modern style, well indebted to bop, but not limited to that. They played a Purcell piece (O solitude) with ostinato bass (in Bb natural minor). It worked, unlike many classical crossovers. The gig started with a breakneck hard-bop that was a technical challenge if a little dry, but calmed to a slower, melody-centric original by Joey. There was another original by Eric, Monk’s 52nd Street Theme, Miles’ In the crease, and a delightful Cheek to cheek as an encore. The solos were long and several times grew to frenzies. Justin basqued in that frenzy and passion. I felt he pushed Joey’s solos beyond comfort at times. Joey could be blissfully inventive at moderate to fast speeds, but lost something with simpler chordal playing at the most intense levels. Justin’s first solo, long and increasingly impassioned, brought the house down and he got to play a second over a 10 beat ostinato by sax and bass. Eric mostly walked, although there was a more syncopated treatment for In the crease. But how fast could he go and how easy was the playing? Branford was a pleasure with a tenor tone a mate described as “dark” and a soprano that sounded to me like a clarinet in its clarity. Wonderful skills that took chords and arpeggiated and inverted. Unpressured lines with evenness of tone and classical precision. These are the jazz gods, of course. I don’t love big venues for jazz, with all the sound coming from a PA bin and rows of fellow listeners lined up for reveille, but this was great playing with some memorable highlights. Much enjoyed.

Branford Marsalis (tenor, soprano sax) led a quartet with Eric Revis (bass), Joey Calderazzo (piano) and Justin Faulkner (drums) at the Sydney Opera House.