On Romare Bearden Revealed, saxophonist Branford Marsalis musically harks back to the work of painter Romare Bearden (1911-1988), whose paintings are strongly influenced by jazz as it sounded in the legendary Cotton Club. Marsalis' quartet consisting of Joey Calderazzo (piano), Eric Revis (bass) and Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums) through the entire Marsalis family and Harry Connick Jr., who once again
… shows that his piano lessons with father Ellis Marsalis are have been. In addition to rousing renditions of Duke Ellington's I'm Slappin 'Seventh Avenue, Jelly Roll Morton's Jungle Blues and JJ Johnson's Carolina Shout, with Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr. engage in a wonderful musical fight, Romare Bearden Revealed delivers a number of new songs that significantly enhance this historical atmosphere. Especially the instrumental duet between Branford and trumpeter Wynton on the uptempo blast Laughin '& Talkin' (with Higg) by Jeff "Tain" Watts is of exceptionally high level. (AD)more