BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET / LIVE AT VILLAGE VANGUARD 1989 (4CDR)

Branford Marsalis – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
Kenny Kirkland – piano
Robert Leslie Hurst III – bass
Jeff "Tain" Watts – drums

DISC 1
1. MR. J.C.
2. Bass Interlude
3. DARK KNIGHT
4. Drum Interlude
5. WRATH OF TAIN
6. DIENDA
7. ROYAL GARDEN BLUES
8. THE BALLAD OF CHET KINCAID

DISC 2
1. NO BACK STAGE PASS
2. STEEPIAN FAITH
3. LON JELLIS
4. REVELATIONS
5. MR. STEEPEE
6. THE BALLAD OF CHET KINCAID

DISC 3
1. EVIDENCE
2. SWINGIN' AT THE HEAVEN
3. TWO BASS HIT
4. THE NEARNESS OF YOU
5. IN 'N OUT
6. ROYAL GARDEN BLUES
7. THE BALLAD OF CHET KINCAID

DISC 4
1. SPARTACUS
2. PARABLE
3. LONJELLIS
4. REVELATIONS
5. WOLVERINE
6. COUNTRY BY CHOICE
7. THE BALLAD OF CHET KINCAID

This is a soundboard live recording of a quartet led by Branford Marsalis—the eldest of the renowned Marsalis musical family. Having first gained prominence in the quintet he formed with his younger brother Wynton, Branford went on to play in Miles Davis’s band and collaborate with rock and pop artists such as Sting and Phil Collins. This 1989 performance captures him at the close of a decade in which his immense talent truly blossomed. Recorded between December 12th and 17th at the Village Vanguard—the premier jazz club—this set features his own quartet and spans a total of 288 minutes. You can enjoy a fiery performance by a quartet of musicians who, at the time, were garnering significant attention as rising stars in the jazz world—all captured with professional-grade sound quality. The recording features the powerhouse drumming of Jeff "Tain" Watts and the sharp, driving double bass work of Robert Hurst. On piano is the late, brilliant Kenny Kirkland—a virtuoso who, alongside Branford Marsalis, also performed as part of Sting’s backing band. Since the source material was already of high quality, the mastering process focused primarily on refining the editing—such as cleaning up the transitions between tracks—rather than altering the core sound. The final track on the fourth disc, which differed in audio quality from the rest, has been separately adjusted using equalization.