''Upward Spiral'' is an album by the

Branford Marsalis Quartet The Branford Marsalis Quartet is a jazz band. Current members * Branford Marsalis – saxophones *Joey Calderazzo - piano (1999–present) *Eric Revis - bass guitar (1997–present) * Justin Faulkner - drums (2009–present) Past members *Jeff ...

with vocalist

Kurt Elling Kurt Elling (born November 2, 1967) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Rockford, Elling became interested in music through his father, who was Kapellmeister at a Lutheran church. He sang in cho ...

. It was nominated for the

Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the vocal jazz ...

Recording and music

The album was recorded at the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, New Orleans, on December 16–19, 2015. The leader of the quartet, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, had not previously recorded an entire album with one vocalist. The other members were pianist

Joey Calderazzo Joseph Dominick Calderazzo (February 27, 1965) is a jazz pianist and brother of musician Gene Calderazzo. He played extensively in bands led by Michael Brecker and Branford Marsalis, and has also led his own bands. Early life Calderazzo was born ...

, bassist

Eric Revis Eric Revis (born May 31, 1967) is a jazz bassist and composer. Revis came to prominence as a bassist with singer Betty Carter in the mid-1990s. Since 1997 he has been a member of Branford Marsalis's ensemble. His debut album, ''Tales of the Stutt ...

, and drummer Justin Faulkner. The music is a mix of upbeat material and some that "ponders loss, pain, dashed expectations and accommodation to all three". Elling sings "Só Tinha De Ser Com Você" in Portuguese.

Release and reception

''Upward Spiral'' was released by

Marsalis Music Marsalis Music is a jazz record label founded by Branford Marsalis in 2002. After 20 years with Columbia, saxophonist Branford Marsalis left to start his own label. Early musicians to the label included Miguel Zenón, a Puerto Rican saxophonist ...

/ OKeh Records on June 10, 2016. The

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 ...

reviewer wrote: "''Upward Spiral'' is less an album featuring a singer backed by a jazz ensemble, and more of an album that details the meeting of two highly creative artists whose talents intertwine to find new avenues of expression." The '' DownBeat'' reviewer concluded: "When the albums ends, your first thought may well be, When are these guys going to do this again?"

Track listing

#"There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York" #" Blue Gardenia" #"From One Island to Another" #"Practical Arrangement" #" Doxy" #"

I'm a Fool to Want You "I'm a Fool to Want You" is a 1951 song composed by Frank Sinatra, Jack Wolf, and Joel Herron. Frank Sinatra co-wrote the lyrics and released the song as a Columbia Records single. The ballad is considered a pop and jazz standard. Background ...

" #"West Virginia Rose" #"Só Tinha De Ser Com Você" #"Momma Said" #"Cassandra Song" #" Blue Velvet" #"The Return" Source:

Personnel

* Branford Marsalis – tenor sax, soprano sax *

– vocals *

– piano *

– bass *Justin Faulkner – drums Source:

References

{{Authority control 2016 albums Branford Marsalis albums Marsalis Music albums Okeh Records albums