NEA Jazz Master and triple Grammy Award winner Branford Marsalis is one of the most defining artists in jazz today. He is also one of music’s most expansive talents, performing Debussy with symphony orchestras, writing for film and theater (scores for George C. Wolfe films; a Tony nomination for Broadway work). He has collaborated with Sting and jammed with the Grateful Dead. But his musical home is with his renowned quartet – more than three decades in, one of the leading and most influential ensembles in all of music. We talked with Branford ahead of their January 26 concert on our stage.
What is it that has made the Branford Marsalis Quartet so enduring, and the setting you say remains your primary means of expression?
It’s all about the personnel: for the last decade-plus, Joey Calderazzo (piano), Eric Revis (bass), and Justin Faulkner (drums). They are great musicians and great people. We love each other, and we love playing together. That allows everything else to happen.
No matter what other music I’m involved in, I’ll finish something and come back to the band. It’s where I always end up. I work to get better. I always want to improve. This is what I do. This is what I want to do.
You’ve said that “melody is at the base of all music.” Can you talk about that a bit?
The thing I’ve learned in 50 years of playing music is that – regardless of genre – what audiences want to go home with is having heard songs that have a great melody and a great beat. Think about Ravel: everybody says they love Ravel – I love Ravel – but all most people know of his music is Bolero. And there’s a reason why – there’s a catchy beat and a melody you can’t forget. Is that the greatest piece he ever wrote? No. But he understands the importance of pieces like that. I think we sometimes get caught up in our own perception of ourselves as musicians and composers, and that just gets in the way. In the band we try to stay true to the intent of the composer, whether that’s one of us or someone else. But our goal is to play songs with strong melodies and a great beat.
The 92nd Street Y has a rich history of presenting jazz, with concerts by legends including John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Bill Evans, and so many others. How does it feel to know you are stepping onto a stage where giants of your art form have performed?
Those are all my heroes. It feels kind of like the first time I played the Village Vanguard in the 1980s – I was completely awed by that.
It’s also the stage where classical legends like Andrés Segovia, the Budapest String Quartet, and many others performed historic concerts ...
The 92nd Street Y is the bomb! I’m excited to be part of that history. It’s actually the coolest thing to see on my calendar in a very long time. I told my band, “We’re gonna be playing at The Y!” and they’re all really into it because of what it represents – not only in terms of jazz, but in terms of music.
Is there a particular concert or two you remember coming to hear?
Oh, I’ve been in the hall many times. I’d be coming off a tour, and I would just go and check the music out. If I remember correctly, sometime in the ‘80s Murray Perahia was there. I snuck in (well, I didn’t sneak in!) to check him out. And there was chamber music – often string quartets. I was always going there to hear good sounds.
Do you approach a quartet gig in a concert hall differently than you do one in a jazz club?
You have to be comfortable with the idea of playing differently – it’s all about the sound, not about anything else. We play a lot of ballads that are rubato, and a hall is really great for those types of songs, where you create a lot of intensity and use a lot of space. There are certain songs we just don’t play in that setting, like ones where the drum set is going absolutely bonkers. That just doesn’t work! So the musicians have to play with a certain level of discipline – we pick songs that work sonically in that setting.
Any early thoughts on some of the songs the band might perform?
We don’t use a set list. We play depending on what the energy in the room says. We play fast songs. We play slow songs. We play traditional music – we have a deep well to draw from. We haven’t really played together in a long time because of the pandemic, so who knows?! We’re working on some things. We’re gonna have fun.
Hear the Branford Marsalis Quartet Thursday, January 26 at 7:30 pm in Kaufmann Concert Hall. Additional details here.