Tenor Saxophonist Branford Marsalis at Yoshi's San Francisco, California



Tenor saxophonist Branford Marsalis

The appearance of the Branford Marsalis Quartet at Yoshi's San Francisco, California Jazz Club (Sept. 21 - 25, 2011) was billed as, "An evening with one of the most innovative and forward-thinking jazz ensembles today." Oh yeah? Better be sure the health insurance is all paid up. It was more like five evenings with an 'innovative and forward-rolling earthquake.' Earthquakes are not unusual for the San Francisco Bay Area. This one was different: it had a name: "Branford." Usually names are reserved for hurricanes, but this was extraordinary. Richter had no number. By Saturday night (Sept. 24), uncontrolled mayhem and unabating turbulence had reached a level that rendered the establishment an undisputed danger zone.

Marsalis had brought to the carnage: Pianist Joey Calderazzo, a guy that really thinks ahead - in music light years; a twenty-year old drummer, Justin Faulkner, who has the drive and energy of a booster rocket, packaged with the pounding dexterity of Elvin Jones; and bassist Eric Revis; melodic, innovative, electrifying, modern and forward-thinking; reminiscent of Ellington's Jimmy Blanton, or a Charles "Buster" Williams.

The Quartet came onto the bandstand at 10:30 pm sharp, Marsalis in the lead. You have to be warned about Branford; apart from being a one-man seismic event, he's got a mordant sense of humor, and the unique ability to kill a whole room with one-liners. He likes sports, and is up to date, so your major sports teams had better be doing well when he blows into town, or he is going to have a field day, or night, laying on the 'dozens.' But there were no 'dozens' coming out of Marsalis' horn when he opened the show with the late, great jazz pianist Kenny Kirkland's composition "Steepian Faith." Kirkland had a longtime association with Marsalis as pianist in his band. He died in 1998 at age 43.

Pianist Joey Calderazzo

Marsalis created some temblors by starting out on soprano sax, on which he is extremely proficient, but on the tenor he is a monster, pure and simple. A portent of the looming major quake, appeared first in the antic, les doigts de l'homme (fleet fingered) piano of Joey Calderazzo, and the relentless, convulsive roar rising from Justin Faulkner's broiling drums.

The major quake hit at about 11:00 PM (PST); it had nothing to do with global warming as most might claim. It was directly centered at 1330 Fillmore Street in the city of San Francisco, California. It bent the Richter scale needle into a U-turn; and was an unequivocal consequence of severe rhythmic tectonic shifts accompanying a sustained, brute force, firestorm of sound, as the quartet entered the sacred spiritual domain of John William Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," and paid homage with its second and third movements: "Resolution" and "Pursuance." 

The hostile explosion of sounds from tenor saxophone, piano, bass, drums, and the gigantic displacement of wave, upon wave of kinetic energy was like a collision of massive musical galaxies; too intense to avoid; riveting the audience to their chairs; too beautiful to ignore; igniting paroxysms of prolonged applause; and never before seen or felt in this jazz emporium. When it ended, and the shaking stopped, the time was 11:40 PM (PST).

Bassist Eric Revis

The after shocks set in immediately. To avoid further structural damage, Marsalis entered the "blues" canon of Duke Ellington and selected the evergreen "Mood Indigo." It visibly brought the audience back from the edge of their seats and settled them snugly under the influence of Marsalis' tenor, reprising the flowing, melodic lyricism of Ben Webster, as Calderazzo's tinkling keys selectively, effectively teased the melody, like Ellington would, against the deeply grounded, articulate bass of Eric Revis, while twenty-year old drummer Justin Faulkner displayed the subtlety and astute judgement of a seasoned veteran, employing the brushes with sublime delicacy, mellowing the mood and painting the canvas deep "Indigo."

They followed "Mood Indigo" with another selection of similar mood and tempo, as if to give the audience another opportunity to appreciate the other sensitive side of this high-powered quartet, and to ease them toward the realization that they were coming to the final moments of a beautiful evening of superb jazz. Marsalis did not back announce the piece, and no one seemed to care.

But wait...

At the conclusion of this tune, the band left the stage signaling the end of show. The crowd gave them another standing ovation and made it known that they wanted an encore. The quartet had expended so much energy,  they couldn't have had much left in the tank. To everyone's astonishment, they returned. This time Branford Marsalis brought to the stage, a young man that he introduced as Anthony (Diamond), Last names were about to become inconsequential. What mattered was, slung around his neck was a glistening alto saxophone. Marsalis disclosed that he had been mentoring Anthony for about 4 years along the lines of playing jazz, jazz history, its icons, and that Anthony was now attending Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, on a full academic scholarship studying Quantum Physics. Marsalis turned to Anthony and casually asked: "So what are you doing now, your Masters?" Anthony replied coolly: "My Doctorate." Right then, the room sat up, and took a real hard look at this taciturn young man called Anthony, who's got a brain that won't quit; looks like a twenty-year old Dexter Gordon, though not quite as tall, and who wants to play his saxophone for a sold out crowd in Yoshi's San Francisco on a Saturday night. What other surprises could he have hidden under that cool, unassuming exterior?

The wait was not long...

The quartet launched into William Kennedy "Duke" Ellington's 1931 jazz standard "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing"), Marsalis powered up and took the first solo at thoroughbred speed, 'the kid' stood still, head down, sorta diggin' it. Marsalis reined in the fire, and turned the night over to 'young Dexter' with a cursory nod of his head.

Drummer Justin Faulkner

In the quantum moment it took the 'nod' to reach Anthony, something mystical transpired. He stepped out of that telephone booth, raised that 'Big S' to his lips, and took off in a single bound, leaping over all the tall buildings in the City; he took it, 'swung' it, 'rocked' it', 'be-bopped' it, 'swung' it some more, and fused it all with crimson fire out of his white hot alto saxophone; then he casually handed it over to Joey Calderazzo and Justin Faulkner; walked real easy to the back of the stage, and sat down quietly. The room erupted...but this was only the beginning! Calderazzo, Revis and Faulkner then burnt it to a crisp, Marsalis came for a second solo and almost caught the building on fire; then Anthony returned for his second solo, this time he was toting fire accelerant. He was serious about burning the joint down. The crowds' eyes reflected the collective joy felt for Anthony: happy that he could handle himself with such professional aplomb; and that they were present to see and be thrilled by this gifted, budding star; amazed at his ability to come in and put 'three in the back of the net' with authority, in the final ten minutes of the game. 

But the high wire act had to end. Eventually, Marsalis and Anthony teamed up, exchanged a series of passionate, spontaneous hard bop ideas and put the evening to bed. The audience erupted once more with a rousing, standing ovation.

There was no need for an encore after that!

Caveat: If you hear that the Branford Marsalis Quartet is coming to your city, or town, to play jazz...Beware people! Beware! Buy insurance!

If you learn that Joey Calderazzo is making the gig to play piano...Think twice about it! Think twice!

If you read that Eric Revis will be bringing his bass...Don't do it! Make up an excuse! Don't do it!

And if anyone barely mentions, that Justin Faulkner will be in the drummer's chair...Run! Just run! As fast as you can!

Because a maelstrom of murderous, blast furnace, post be-bop torridness, brought on by gratuitous mayhem and uncontrollable chaos, will be unleashed on your senses; and you will never be the same again....

If you are in doubt: take a chance; live dangerously: go see them!