Branford Marsalis - Contemporary Jazz 
Original released Year 2000
Label: Columbia Records, USA
Catalog Nbr. CK63850 
Duration: 68:35  
Recorded at Bearsville Sound Studios, Bearsville, New York from December 1-4, 1999. 
Includes liner notes by Rafi Zabor.
CONTEMPORARY JAZZ won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Jazz album



Personnel:
 
Branford Marsalis (saxophone) 
Joey Calderazzo (piano) 
Eric Revis (bass) 
Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums) 


Tracks: 

1. In The Crease
2. Requiem
3. Elysium
4. Cheek To Cheek  
5. Tain Mutiny
6. Ayanna
7. Countronious Rex


CONTEMPORARY JAZZ won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album by an 
Individual or Group.

With CONTEMPORARY JAZZ, his first outing after the untimely death of pianist Kenny 
Kirkland, Branford Marsalis seemed ready to chart new territories in jazz. 
Compositions such as "Elysium" highlight his (and his group's) ability to play 
with ferocity; there aren't many drummers, for example, as vociferous and energetic
as Jeff Watts. Marsalis himself seems driven to higher levels of ferocity, as 
evidenced by his edgy, scorching solo on the above-mentioned track.


In contrast, tunes such as "Requiem" bring out Marsalis' affection for delicate and 
wistful ballads. Pianist Joey Calderazo also plays a rhapsodic and introspective 
solo on this piece, giving a kind of free-floating feel to the music. Use of complex 
metric modulations and implied time make this album sound at times like it's filled 
with many sharp twists and turns, as if each song begins in a larval stage, then
transforms into a strange yet fascinating creature. This process makes Marsalis'
music at once exciting and baffling. Challenging to the ears, yet soothing to
the primal instincts, CONTEMPORARY JAZZ is one of the tenor man's best.