Day 25: The Blossom Of Parting

Jazz, maybe more than any other kind of music, is very take-it-or-leave-it. It either hits you real hard, or goes right over your head. The Branford Marsalis Quartet is likely to do the former. I actually had the pleasure of seeing them live, and walking out on stage they looked cooler than the underside of the pillow. The foursome is made up of Joey Calderazzo, on keys, Eric Revis, on bass, Justin Faulkner (who replaced Jeff "Tain Watts), on drums, and (you guessed it) Branford Marsalis, on saxophones. Their music is featured in the Spike Lee joint Mo' Better Blues which shares it name with a classic Quartet tune. Branford Marsalis has acted in Throw Momma From The Train and School Daze, he asked out Hillary Banks on The Fresh Prince, and was the predecessor to Kevin Eubanks as band leader of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The Marsalis name is royalty in the jazz world, his father as well as 3 of his 5 brothers are all jazz musicians. Here's the song for the day.

Song: The Blossom of Parting
Artist: Branford Marsalis Quartet
Album: Metamorphosen

The Blossom of Parting is that instantaneous feeling of missing the one you love the second they close the door, realizing the irrationality of your feeling as they'll be returning soon, but missing them all the same. That beautiful Blossom of a variety of feelings ranging from melancholy to joyfulness. Branford lets his Saxophone tell the story, which it does splendidly, singing a frantic yet mellow song. The Drums of Faulkner whisper in the background, keeping things chronologically accurate, and Calderazzo's Keys contribute a different perspective into this wonderful reminiscence. The Blossom of Parting, the name practically tells the entire tale all by itself.

Listen here!

Be sure to also listen to Mo' Better Blues.