The Dark Keys

Last updated
The Dark Keys
Branford Marsalis The Dark Keys.jpg
Studio album by
Branford Marsalis
ReleasedOctober 1996
RecordedJuly & August 1996
Genre Jazz
Length55:29
Label Sony Music
Producer Delfeayo Marsalis
Branford Marsalis chronology
Loved Ones
(1996)		The Dark Keys
(1996)		 Music Evolution
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Entertainment Weekly A− [2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [3]

The Dark Keys is a jazz trio album by the Branford Marsalis Trio, featuring Branford Marsalis, Reginald Veal, and Jeff "Tain" Watts, with guest appearances from Kenny Garrett and Joe Lovano. Recorded July 31 to August 2, 1996, in the Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, New York, the album reached Number 9 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart. [1]

Contents

Reception

In his AllMusic review, Leo Stanley wrote that the performance "pushes at the borders of post-bop, adding elements of hip-hop and rock & roll, making for an adventurous and exciting listen." [1] Steve Futterman concurred in his Entertainment Weekly review, noting that the album shows Marsalis returning "to contender status." [2] Writing in 2009 in The New York Times , Ben Ratliff called the album one of the landmarks of the saxophone trio album tradition over the last 50 years. [4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Branford Marsalis, except where indicated

No.TitleLength
1."The Dark Keys"10:42
2."Hesitation" (Wynton Marsalis)5:58
3."A Thousand Autumns"6:20
4."Sentinel"8:49
5."Lykeif"6:04
6."Judas Iscariot" (Delfeayo Marsalis)7:48
7."Blutain" (Jeff "Tain" Watts)7:36
8."Schott Happens"8:16

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff "Tain" Watts</span> American jazz drummer

Jeff "Tain" Watts is a jazz drummer who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Betty Carter, Michael Brecker, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, and others.

<i>Black Codes (From the Underground)</i> 1985 studio album by Wynton Marsalis

Black Codes (From the Underground) is a 1985 album by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.

<i>Braggtown</i> 2006 studio album by Branford Marsalis Quartet

Braggtown is an album released by The Branford Marsalis Quartet in 2006.

<i>Eternal</i> (Branford Marsalis album) 2004 studio album by 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.

<i>Wynton Marsalis</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis is the debut album by the jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. It was released in 1982 by Columbia. It contains seven tracks, three composed by Marsalis. The album peaked at number 165 on the Billboard 200 and number nine on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.

<i>Think of One</i> 1983 studio album by Wynton Marsalis

Think of One is an album by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, released in 1983. It won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist.

<i>Joe Cools Blues</i> 1995 studio album by Wynton Marsalis and Ellis Marsalis

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.

<i>Standard Time, Vol. 2: Intimacy Calling</i> 1990 studio album by Wynton Marsalis

Standard Time, Vol. 2: Intimacy Calling is an album by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis that was released in 1990. The album reached peak positions of number 112 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.

<i>Trio Jeepy</i> 1989 studio album by Branford Marsalis

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'.

<i>Crazy People Music</i> 1990 studio album by Branford Marsalis

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>The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Branford Marsalis

The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born is a jazz album by Branford Marsalis, leading a trio with Jeff "Tain" Watts and Robert Hurst and with guest appearances from Wynton Marsalis and Courtney Pine. It was recorded May 16–18, 1991, at CTS Studio A, Wembley, England, and June 24, 1991, at RCA Studio B in New York City. It peaked at number 3 on the Top Jazz Albums chart.

<i>I Heard You Twice the First Time</i> 1992 studio album by Branford Marsalis

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.

<i>Bloomington</i> (album) 1993 live album by Branford Marsalis

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.

<i>Music Evolution</i> 1997 studio album by Buckshot LeFonque (Branford Marsalis)

Music Evolution is the second album of Branford Marsalis's jazz/hip-hop/rock group Buckshot LeFonque. Featuring guest appearances from David Sanborn, Guru and Laurence Fishburne, the album peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. The album is notable in Branford's discography for marking his first collaboration with pianist Joey Calderazzo and bassist Eric Revis, both of whom would go on to record in his quartet in the 2000s and 2010s.

<i>Requiem</i> (Branford Marsalis album) 1999 studio album by Branford Marsalis Quartet

Requiem is a jazz album by the Branford Marsalis Quartet, featuring Branford Marsalis, Eric Revis, Jeff "Tain" Watts, and Kenny Kirkland. The recording, Kirkland's last before his death in November 1998, was dedicated to his memory. Recorded August 17–20 and December 9–10, 1998 in the Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, New York, the album reached Number 8 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.

<i>Contemporary Jazz</i> (Branford Marsalis album) 2000 studio album by Branford Marsalis Quartet

Contemporary Jazz is a jazz album by the Branford Marsalis Quartet, featuring Branford Marsalis, Eric Revis, Jeff "Tain" Watts, and Joey Calderazzo which was recorded on December 1–4, 1999 at Bearsville Sound Studios near Woodstock, New York.

<i>Footsteps of Our Fathers</i> 2002 studio album by Branford Marsalis Quartet

Footsteps of Our Fathers is a jazz album by the Branford Marsalis Quartet, featuring Branford Marsalis, Eric Revis, Jeff "Tain" Watts, and Joey Calderazzo, which was recorded December 1–3, 2001 at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York. Marsalis's first recording for his new label Marsalis Music after 18 years on Sony Music, the album features the quartet's recording of four significant works of jazz from the years 1955 to 1964, including works by Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and the Modern Jazz Quartet.

<i>Romare Bearden Revealed</i> 2003 studio album by Branford Marsalis Quartet

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.

<i>Songbook</i> (Kenny Garrett album) 1997 studio album by Kenny Garrett

Songbook is the eighth studio album by Kenny Garrett, released in 1997 by Warner Bros. Records. It features Garrett in a quartet consisting of pianist Kenny Kirkland and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, and bassist Nat Reeves.

<i>Royal Garden Blues</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Branford Marsalis

Royal Garden Blues is an album by the American saxophonist Branford Marsalis, released in 1986. Marsalis promoted it with a North American tour.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Stanley, Leo. "The Dark Keys". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
  2. 1 2 Futterman, Steve (1996-11-29). "Music Review: The Dark Keys". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
  3. ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 948. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
  4. ↑ Ratliff, Ben (2009-07-27). "Critics' Choice: New CDs" . Retrieved 2014-11-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.