Royal Garden Blues is an album by the American saxophonist Branford Marsalis, released in 1986.[2][3] Marsalis promoted it with a North American tour.[4]
| Royal Garden Blues | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
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| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Label | Columbia[1] | |||
| Producer | Delfeayo Marsalis | |||
| Branford Marsalis chronology | ||||
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The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist".[5] It peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Traditional Jazz Albums chart.[6]
Production
editRoyal Garden Blues was produced by Delfeayo Marsalis.[7] Ron Carter and Herbie Hancock contributed to the album.[8]
The title track is a cover of the jazz standard.[9] Its video was directed by Spike Lee.[10] "Strike Up the Band" is a version of the song composed by George Gershwin.[11] "Emanon" was written by Wynton Marsalis.[12] "Shadows was written by Larry Willis.[13] Ellis Marsalis Jr. played piano on "Swingin' at the Haven", which he also wrote.[14] "The Wrath of Tain", a tribute to drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, was written by Branford.[15]
Critical reception
edit
Robert Christgau labeled Marsalis the "more fun" member of the family, but determined that "his artistic personality is still unformed."[17] The Los Angeles Times noted that "despite having been bitten by the rhythm-and-blues bug and stung by Sting, the saxophonist-leader leaves no doubt that jazz is his home turf."[12] The Sun-Sentinel stated that the music "is played very conservatively, without any hint of modern musical forms, instrumentation or rhythms."[22]
The Chicago Tribune concluded: "Formerly inclined to summon up as much heat as possible, Marsalis seems to have realized that he is not a passionate, ecstatic player but a coolheaded, technically agile craftsman."[23] The New York Times wrote that the album is "steeped in the songful, harmonically complex style of the mid-1960's Miles Davis quintet and of the Blue Note Records stable."[24] The Sunday Times considered the title track "a serious, unflinching improvisation."[25]
AllMusic deemed Royal Garden Blues "one of Branford's more playful albums."[16]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Swingin' at the Haven" | Ellis Marsalis Jr. | 6:11 |
| 2. | "Dienda" | Kenny Kirkland | 7:13 |
| 3. | "Strike Up the Band" | George Gershwin | 4:19 |
| 4. | "Emanon" | Wynton Marsalis | 7:23 |
| 5. | "Royal Garden Blues" | Clarence Williams, Spencer Williams | 7:04 |
| 6. | "Shadows" | Larry Willis | 9:29 |
| 7. | "The Wrath of Tain" | Branford Marsalis | 8:57 |
Personnel
edit- Branford Marsalis – tenor saxophone (1, 3, 4, 6, 7), soprano saxophone (2, 5, 7)
- Ellis Marsalis Jr. – acoustic piano (1)
- Kenny Kirkland – acoustic piano (2, 7)
- Larry Willis – acoustic piano (3, 5, 6)
- Herbie Hancock – acoustic piano (4)
- Ron Carter – bass (1, 4, 5)
- Charnett Moffett – bass (2, 3, 7)
- Ira Coleman – bass (6)
- Ralph Peterson Jr. – drums (1)
- Jeff "Tain" Watts – drums (2–4, 7)
- Al Foster – drums (5)
- Marvin "Smitty" Smith – drums (6)
Production
edit- George Butler – executive producer
- Delfeayo Marsalis – producer, mixing, editing
- Tim "Cheem" Geelan – engineer (1, 4)
- Patrick Smith – mixing (1, 4)
- Jim Scott – engineer (2, 3, 5–7), mixing (2, 3, 5–7)
- Branford Marsalis – mixing (2, 3, 5–7)
- Dennis Ferrante – assistant engineer
- Tony Dawsey – mastering
- Alan Moy – mastering
- Masterdisk (New York, NY) – mastering location
- Mark Larson – design
- Robert Cohen – photography
References
edit- ^ Lichtenstein, Grace; Dankner, Laura (September 9, 1993). Musical Gumbo: The Music of New Orleans. W.W. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-03468-4.
- ^ "Branford Marsalis Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Riley, Norman (Nov 1986). "The Young Lions". The Crisis. Vol. 93, no. 9. p. 9.
- ^ MacInnis, Craig (6 Feb 1987). "Bored-again Branford back to jazz". Toronto Star. p. D19.
- ^ "Branford Marsalis". Recording Academy. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ "Branford Marsalis". Billboard.
- ^ Santosuosso, Ernie (5 Dec 1986). "Another Tenor Saxophonist to Star in Film". Arts and Film. The Boston Globe. p. 46.
- ^ McKenzie, Madora (5 Nov 1986). "Soundtakes". Arts. The Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ Gioia, Ted (September 9, 2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-976915-5.
- ^ Magro, Anthony (September 9, 2002). Contemporary Cat: Terence Blanchard with Special Guests. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-4323-3.
- ^ Miller, Mark (6 Nov 1986). "Royal Garden Blues Branford Marsalis". The Globe and Mail. p. D3.
- ^ a b c Feather, Leonard (9 Nov 1986). "Jazz Album Briefs". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 55.
- ^ a b Stevens, Peter (24 Jan 1987). "Jazz". Windsor Star. p. C2.
- ^ Moody, Lois (24 Apr 1987). "Branford Marsalis Royal Garden Blues". Ottawa Citizen. p. F5.
- ^ Tranfa, Anthony D. (November 7, 1986). "'Royal Garden Blues', Branford Marsalis". Daily Breeze. p. E10.
- ^ a b "Branford Marsalis Royal Garden Blues". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Branford Marsalis". Robert Christgau.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 517.
- ^ MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 745.
- ^ The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (8th ed.). Penguin Books Ltd. 2006. p. 851.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 450.
- ^ Wissink, Stephen (8 Feb 1987). "Older Marsalis Falls Short". Sun-Sentinel. p. 3G.
- ^ Kart, Larry (14 Dec 1986). "Royal Garden Blues". Arts. Chicago Tribune. p. 24.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (17 Dec 1986). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C29.
- ^ Cook, Richard (November 9, 1986). "Swaggering saxophonist". Arts. The Sunday Times.