Philadelphia Weekly is still figuring out why the live music previews aren’t appearing online, so I’ll continue to post mine here…
Branford Marsalis Quartet
Sun., Apr. 5, 7pm. $20-$55. Zellerbach Theater, 3680 Walnut St. 215.898.3900 www.pennpresents.org
No doubt, the long-ago Sting sideman, former Tonight Show bandleader and guest food-taster on Top Chef is a celebrity. But undiluted jazz is the saxophonist’s message, and the relentless Branford Marsalis Quartet is the medium. In the 10 years since the untimely death of Kenny Kirkland, its original pianist, the band has gathered creative steam, proved again by the new album Metamorphosen, featuring material by each member (Marsalis, pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts). Brute-force swing, mournful melody, confounding rhythmic mazes, Thelonious Monk tunes: Branford and crew face every challenge with authority, maintaining a distinctive sound that only gets hotter in the live setting. Those who equate the Marsalis name with stiff traditionalism have another thing coming. — David R. Adler
Blue Note Records 70th Anniversary Tour
Fri., Apr. 3, 8pm. $26-$64. Kimmel Center, 260 South Broad St. 215.731.3333 www.kimmelcenter.org
Blue Note has produced some of the defining albums in African-American cultural history, its catalog rooted in jazz but relevant to DJ culture and other genres. Giants such as Cedar Walton, Grant Green, Herbie Hancock and Joe Henderson made their names with utterly timeless music for the label. This repertory is now in the hands of the Blue Note 7, an all-star septet whose members came of age during Blue Note’s modern period, from the mid-’80s on. Touring in support of Mosaic, the band includes trumpeter Nicholas Payton, saxophonists Ravi Coltrane and Steve Wilson, guitarist Peter Bernstein, pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash. In concert they’ll add inspired charts that didn’t fit on the record. — David R. Adler
Comments are closed.