Branford Marsalis - The Steep Anthology (Columbia/Legacy 2004)

Más allá del consabido hecho que Branford Marsalis, al menos en una primera etapa de su carrera, era como un camaleón, dado su impresionante conocimiento de la técnica de los grandes referentes del género que le permitió mimetizarse con esos célebres ejecutantes, llámese John Coltrane o Wayne Shorter, por ser las alusiones más obvias, no es menos cierto que es un formidable intérprete.

La compilación The Steep Anthology presenta temas pertenecientes a álbumes entre Scenes in the City (1983) (su primer disco) y Requiem (1999), más una versión inédita en vivo en 1989 en The Village Vanguard de Evidence (Thelonious Monk), en un programa enriquecido, precisamente, por la variedad de estilos que aborda Marsalis en su ejecución.

Branford brilla en sus originales: Spartacus, No Backstage Pass y la coltranesque The Dark Keys; y en el standard Three Little Words (Harry Ruby).****

1.Doctone 6:07
-B. Marsalis-
rec. 8/17/98-8/20/98, New York.
Branford Marsalis, saxophone;
Kenny Kirkland, piano;
Jeff "Tain" Watts, drums;
Eric Revis, bass.
From the album Requiem (1999).
2.Maria 6:09
L. Bernstein-S. Sondheim
rec. 8/14/95-9/11/95, New York.
Branford Marsalis, saxophone;
Ellis Marsalis, piano.
From the album Loved Ones (1996).
3.Royal Garden Blues 7:05
C. Williams-S. Williams
rec. 3/18/86-3/20/86, New York.
Branford Marsalis, soprano and tenor
saxophones;
Larry Willis, piano;
Ron Carter, bass;
Al Foster, drums.
From the album Royal Garden Blues (1986).
4.Evidence (Live)* 9:27
-T. Monk-
Recorded live at The Village Vanguard,
12/12/89-12/18/89, New York.
Branford Marsalis, saxophone;
Kenny Kirkland, piano;
Robert L. Hurst III, bass;
Jeff "Tain" Watts, drums.
5.Cain & Abel 7:48
-B. Marsalis-
rec. 5/16/91-5/18/91.
Branford Marsalis, saxophone;
Robert Hurst, bass;
Jeff "Tain" Watts, drums;
Wynton Marsalis, trumpet.
From the album The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (1991).
6.Spartacus 8:16
-B. Marsalis-
rec. 2/18/90 and 3/1/90, New York
Branford Marsalis, soprano and tenor
saxophones;
Jeff "Tain" Watts, drums;
Kenny Kirkland, piano;
Robert Hurst, bass.
Fron the album Crazy People Music (1990).
7.No Backstage Pass 6:48
-B. Marsalis-
rec. 4/18/83-4/19/83, New York.
Branford Marsalis, tenor saxophone;
Ron Carter, bass;
Marvin Smith, drums.
From the album Scenes in the City (1984).
8.Sidney In Da Haus 6:33
-B. Marsalis-
rec. unknown, California & New York.
Branford Marsalis, soprano saxophone;
Wessel Anderson, alto saxophone;
Wynton Marsalis, trumpet;
David Sagher, trombone;
Robert Hurst, bass;
Jeff "Tain" Watts, drums.
From the album I Heard You Twice The First Time (1992)
9.The Dark Keys 10:43
-B. Marsalis-
rec. 7/31/96-8/2/96, New York.
Branford Marsalis, soprano and tenor
saxophones;
Reginald Veal, bass;
Jeff Watts, drums.
From the album The Dark Keys (1996)
10.Three Little Words 5:08
-H. Ruby-B. Kalmar-
rec. 1/3-4/88, New York.
Branford Marsalis, tenor saxophone;
Milt Hilton, bass.
From the album Trio Jeepy (1989)

*Previously Unreleased

Columbia/Legacy CK 90909 (2004)