''The Dark Keys'' is a jazz trio album by the Branford Marsalis Trio, featuring
Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed inst ...
,
Reginald Veal
Reginald Veal (born November 5, 1963) is an American jazz bassist and multi-instrumentalist from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Veal grew up in New Orleans where he began piano lessons at a very early age. After receiving a bass guitar as a gift from hi ...
, and
Jeff "Tain" Watts, with guest appearances from
Kenny Garrett
Kenny Garrett (born October 9, 1960) is an American post-bop jazz musician and composer who gained recognition in his youth as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and for his time with Miles Davis's band. His primary instruments are alto and ...
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
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Top Jazz Albums chart.
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."
Steve Futterman concurred in his ''
Entertainment Weekly'' review, noting that the album shows Marsalis returning "to contender status."
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.
Track listing
Personnel
* Branford Marsalis – Saxophones
*
Reginald Veal
Reginald Veal (born November 5, 1963) is an American jazz bassist and multi-instrumentalist from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Veal grew up in New Orleans where he began piano lessons at a very early age. After receiving a bass guitar as a gift from hi ...
, bass
*
Jeff "Tain" Watts, drums
*
Kenny Garrett
Kenny Garrett (born October 9, 1960) is an American post-bop jazz musician and composer who gained recognition in his youth as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and for his time with Miles Davis's band. His primary instruments are alto and ...
, alto saxophone (on "Judas Iscariot")
*
Joe Lovano, tenor saxophone (on "Sentinel")
References
External links
BranfordMarsalis.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dark Keys
1996 albums
Branford Marsalis albums