| Royal Garden Blues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Label | Columbia [1] | |||
| Producer | Delfeayo Marsalis | |||
| Branford Marsalis chronology | ||||
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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]
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]
Royal 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]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| Robert Christgau | B+ [17] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [18] |
| Los Angeles Times | [12] |
| MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide | [19] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |  [20] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [21] |
| Windsor Star | A [13] |
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]
| 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 |
Kenneth David Kirkland was an American pianist and keyboardist.
Jason Marsalis is an American jazz drummer, vibraphone player, composer, producer, band leader, and member of the Marsalis family of musicians. He is the youngest son of Dolores Ferdinand Marsalis and the late Ellis Marsalis, Jr.
Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr. was an American jazz pianist and educator. Active since the late 1940s, Marsalis came to greater attention in the 1980s and 1990s as the patriarch of the musical Marsalis family, when sons Branford and Wynton became popular jazz musicians.
Delfeayo Marsalis is an American jazz trombonist, record producer and educator.
Quartet is the twenty-seventh album by jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, featuring a quartet with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams. It was originally issued in Japan on CBS/Sony, and later given a US release by Columbia.
Two Blocks from the Edge is Michael Brecker's fifth album as a leader. It was recorded in 1997 at Avatar Studios in New York City, and released in 1998. It features pianist Joey Calderazzo and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, noted for their work with Branford Marsalis.
Eternal is an album by saxophonist Branford Marsalis recorded at Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown, New York in October 2003. It peaked at number 9 on the Top Jazz Albums chart.
Round Midnight is a soundtrack album by Herbie Hancock featuring music recorded for Bertrand Tavernier's film Round Midnight released in 1986 on Columbia Records. The album features performances by Hancock, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Tony Williams, vocalist Bobby McFerrin, tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, bassist Pierre Michelot, drummer Billy Higgins, guitarist John McLaughlin, trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, vocalist Lonette McKee, and pianist Cedar Walton, most of whom appear in the film. It won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score in 1986, beating Ennio Morricone's The Mission and Jerry Goldsmith's Hoosiers, among others. Additional music recorded during the making of the film was released under Dexter Gordon's name as The Other Side of Round Midnight (1986).
Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque. From 1992 to 1995 he led the Tonight Show Band.
Buckshot LeFonque is the eponymous debut album of Branford Marsalis's jazz/hip-hop/rock group. Creating a new hybrid sound, It peaked at number 38 on the Heatseekers Billboard chart and number 94 on the R&B Albums chart.
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Joe Cool's Blues is an album by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and his father Ellis Marsalis that was released in 1995. The album reached a peak position of No. 3 on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart.
Random Abstract is a jazz album by saxophonist Branford Marsalis recorded August 12–13, 1987 at Sound City Studios in Tokyo, Japan. It peaked at number 6 on the Top Jazz Albums chart. It was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1988, Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist and Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group.
Trio Jeepy is a jazz album by saxophonist Branford Marsalis, in which he leads a trio featuring notable bassist Milt Hinton. Recorded January 3–4, 1988 at Astoria Studios in New York City and released in 1989, Trio Jeepy was later nominated for a Grammy Award in the 1989 category for 'Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group'.
Crazy People Music is a jazz album featuring the Branford Marsalis Quartet, led by saxophonist Branford Marsalis and featuring Kenny Kirkland, Jeff "Tain" Watts, and Robert Hurst. It was recorded January 10, February 18, and March 1, 1990 at RCA Studios in New York, New York. It peaked at number 3 on the Top Jazz Albums chart. It was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1990 for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist.
I Heard You Twice the First Time is a jazz album by Branford Marsalis that explores different aspects of the blues, featuring guest appearances from B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Russell Malone, Wynton Marsalis and Linda Hopkins. It peaked at number 1 on the Top Jazz Albums chart. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group.
Bloomington is a 1993 live jazz album by saxophonist Branford Marsalis, featuring Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums and Robert Hurst on bass. It was recorded at a concert in Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana on September 23, 1991, while the trio was on tour. The concert occurred one month before the release of Marsalis's album The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born, featuring the same lineup, and three of Bloomington's six tracks are taken from that album. Bloomington peaked at number 9 on the Top Jazz Albums chart.
Romare Bearden Revealed is a jazz album by the Branford Marsalis Quartet, featuring Branford Marsalis, Eric Revis, Jeff "Tain" Watts, and Joey Calderazzo, with guest appearances by Harry Connick Jr., Wynton Marsalis, Doug Wamble, Reginald Veal, and other members of the Marsalis family. The album, which was recorded June 23–25, 2003 at Clinton Studios in New York, New York, was recorded in celebration of a retrospective exhibit of the art of Romare Bearden which opened at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and subsequently traveled to San Francisco, Dallas, New York and Atlanta in 2004 and 2005. The album recorded jazz tunes whose names Bearden had used for paintings as well as original compositions.
Music From "Mo' Better Blues" is a collaborative album by Branford Marsalis Quartet and Terence Blanchard. It was released in 1990 through Columbia/CBS Records as a soundtrack to Spike Lee's 1990 film Mo' Better Blues. Recording sessions took place at RCA Studios and Sound On Sound in New York. Production was handled by Bill Lee, Delfeayo Marsalis, Raymond Jones and DJ Premier, with Spike Lee serving as executive producer. It features contributions from film stars Cynda Williams, Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes, and American hip hop duo Gang Starr.
Renaissance is an album by the American musician Branford Marsalis, released in 1987. It peaked at No. 4 on Billboard's Traditional Jazz Albums chart. Marsalis supported the album with a North American tour.
