''Crazy People Music'' is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

album featuring the Branford Marsalis Quartet, led by saxophonist Branford Marsalis and featuring

Kenny Kirkland Kenneth David Kirkland (September 28, 1955 – November 12, 1998) was an American pianist and keyboardist. Biography Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, United States, Kirkland was six when he first sat down at a piano keyboard. After years ...

Jeff "Tain" Watts Jeff "Tain" Watts (born January 20, 1960) is a jazz drummer who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Betty Carter, Michael Brecker, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, and others. Biography Watts got the nickname "Tain" from Kenny ...

, 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 The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in 1990 for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist. Scott Yanow notes in his

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

review, "It's an impressive group… The Ballad of Chet Kincaid'would catch on to a general audience, but on the others Marsalis is heard throughout in prime form, sounding more original and pushing himself."Yanow, Scott.

Allmusic Review AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

accessed 7 October 2014. Several critics point to ''Crazy People Music'' as a turning point for Marsalis. Nate Chinen of

Jazz Times ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

called the album the "first major statement" of Marsalis's new quartet, and Paul Wells wrote in 2014 that the album was when "the band's vision coalesced." Marsalis himself notes, "''Crazy People Music'' was kind of a breakthrough record. We were starting to pull away from the typical

post-bop Post-bop is a genre of small-combo jazz that evolved in the early to mid 1960s in the United States. Pioneers of the genre, such as Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane and Jackie McLean, crafted syntheses ...

stuff. We weren't really free of it yet…"

Track listing

Personnel

* Branford Marsalis - saxophones *

- drums * Robert Hurst - bass *

- piano

References

External links

* BranfordMarsalis.co

{{Authority control 1990 albums Branford Marsalis albums Albums produced by George Butler (record producer)