Search - Branford Marsalis Quartet :: Metamorphosen

Stellar Compositions and Performance

David Ross | Rochester, NY USA | 03/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listening to the Branford Marsalis Quartet's Metamorphosen is an experience that leaves me stunned by the beauty and complexity of both their composition and performance skills. This is a wonderful example of jazz that is musically tight yet expressive and improvisational. The interplay of the four musicians is spectacular with first one and then another or two at a time seamlessly taking the lead or all four playing in perfect synchronization. This is a virtuoso performance by an experienced quartet with each performer clearly a star in his own right.



Compositionally as well this is a collaborative effort with Branford Marsalis himself contributing only the single composition Jaberwocky, which features him on alto sax. Instead this recording features two or three compositions from each of the other members plus Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-a-ning for a total of nine tracks. The shortest track (3:17) is bassist Revis' composition and solo performance "And Then, He Was Gone" in which the elegance of Revis' playing belies the traditional rhythm and beat role of the bass.



The other tracks range from 5 to 10 minutes in length allowing the group to fully develop a theme, adding layers and exploring as the pieces progress. The tracks range from the upbeat and energetic such as Jitney Man, Jaberwocky and Rhythm-a-ning to the beautiful and melancholic such as The Blossom of Parting, The Last Goodbye, (and) And Then He was Gone. Metamorphosen concludes with drummer Watts' wonderful composition Samo with 10 minutes of mid tempo jazz which simply allows the listener to bask in the glow of a wonderful performance featuring the quartet playing in perfectly synchronized collaboration.



Remarkably you can still listen to the whole album (As of November 21, 2009)

at marsalismusicdotcom/metamorphosen/

"

Branford does it, yet again...

T. Klaase | Orange Park, Florida United States | 03/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Branford's Quartet has been together for 10 plus years - which is nearly unheard of in jazz - but it shows in the recordings. "Eternal" will always be one of my favorites - and the last one, "Braggtown" was brutally intense and unforgiving. This time out we get a compromise or a "Metamorphonsen" of the last two studio recordings of this virtuosically stellar band. Not all the material is grade "A" but the musicianship is second to none. Like his brother Wynton, Branford pulls ribbons of sound, slashing out of his saxophone - to the sheer delight of all that listen.



Drummer Watts always seems to write the best material for the quartet - so be sure to add those two numbers to your Itunes 'frequently played' list.



Of course nothing compares to the live renditions of such material and such amazing musicians. Fortunately, this recording is immaculate and each nuance and concept is carried out thoughtfully...



Another winner - and something we've certainly come to expect from Branford these days...



~T

"

Great album

Scott D. Whigham | Dallas, TX United States | 01/01/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I posted this mainly to offset the goofball who posted a 1-star review. This is a great album - I would give it at least a 4 and probably a 5 normally."