The Dark Keys

The Dark Keys
Studio album by
Branford Marsalis
ReleasedOctober 1996
RecordedJuly & August 1996
GenreJazz
Length55:29
LabelSony Music
ProducerDelfeayo Marsalis
Branford Marsalis chronology
Loved Ones
(1996) 		The Dark Keys
(1996) 		Music Evolution
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[3]

The Dark Keys is a jazz trio album by the Branford Marsalis Trio, featuring Branford Marsalis, Reginald Veal, and Jeff "Tain" Watts, with guest appearances from Kenny Garrett and Joe Lovano. Recorded July 31 to August 2, 1996, in the Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, New York, the album reached Number 9 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.[1]

Reception

In his AllMusic review, Leo Stanley wrote that the performance "pushes at the borders of post-bop, adding elements of hip-hop and rock & roll, making for an adventurous and exciting listen."[1] Steve Futterman concurred in his Entertainment Weekly review, noting that the album shows Marsalis returning "to contender status."[2] Writing in 2009 in The New York Times, Ben Ratliff called the album one of the landmarks of the saxophone trio album tradition over the last 50 years.[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Branford Marsalis, except where indicated

No.TitleLength
1."The Dark Keys"10:42
2."Hesitation" (Wynton Marsalis)5:58
3."A Thousand Autumns"6:20
4."Sentinel"8:49
5."Lykeif"6:04
6."Judas Iscariot" (Delfeayo Marsalis)7:48
7."Blutain" (Jeff "Tain" Watts)7:36
8."Schott Happens"8:16

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b c Stanley, Leo. "The Dark Keys". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
  2. ^ a b Futterman, Steve (1996-11-29). "Music Review: The Dark Keys". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
  3. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 948. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  4. ^ Ratliff, Ben (2009-07-27). "Critics' Choice: New CDs". Retrieved 2014-11-11.