Episode XXXVII: 3x Grammy winner&Legendary musician Branford Marsalis - a podcast by wheretheyat

The 37th edition of Whe're They At features one of the most prolific saxophonists in the music history, Branford Marsalis. Branford is the eldest sibling within the great families in music, The Marsalis family. He has been an innovative musician, composer, bandleader and educator for four decades, winning 3 Grammy awards. Branford has worked with a cornucopia of greats, such as Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Sting and The Grateful Dead, to name a few. He was the bandleader for 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' for two years and has recorded over 25 albums as a leader. He has written music for films as well, including the critically acclaimed, 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'. He has also been involved in music performances for the National Basketball Association & is a sports aficionado. Host Nabaté Isles had the honor to speak with Branford on a plethora of topics including:                  

02:25-Remembers his late father, the great pianist and educator, Ellis Marsalis.                              
04:40-How is he protecting himself from the Covid-19 pandemic?                                   
 
06:20-On how Covid-19 exposes behavior in society, especially racially.                     
 
14:12-His candid take on the current state of the promotion of Jazz.                          
 
21:52-Thoughts on the trajectory of the Jazz artform, how it intertwines with other genres.                   
30:36-The importance of learning the complete historical vocabulary of Jazz.                      
 
40:38-Reflects on his experiences in writing the film score as well as music consulting for the film, 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'.
 
44:16-On how the actors for 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' were able to portray musicians with authenticity.                       
 
47:10-Remembers his musical involvement on the film, 'Mo Better Blues'....30 years ago.                       
52:14-What is needed in Jazz education? Does Black history need to be linked to it?                     
1:00:54-What should a Jazz curriculum consist of?                        
 
1:04:02-On the greatness and scrutiny of 'Pistol' Pete Maravich, who played for the New Orleans Jazz in the 1970's.                                  
 
1:09:43-Provides his evaluation on the current NBA team in New Orleans, the Pelicans.                         
1:18:55-Is the criticism of Zion Williamson's weight warranted?                           
 
1:22:02-On sports fans being overly emotional.                         
 
1:24:04-How will Chris Paul do with the Phoenix Suns?                          
 
1:26:20-On the circumstances that have made his New Orleans Saints a consistent winner for about 15 seasons.                       
 
1:28:19-The eventful year of Drew Brees, on and off the field.                        
 
1:31:00-His take on how winning games can have people forget anybody's mindset and actions off the field. 
 
1:37:12-Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson (from the Episode II of 'Whe're They At') reminisced about playing the saxophone with Branford Marsalis during the 1992 Dream Team's Olympic run in Barcelona, Spain.                        
 
1:38:54-Shares a funny story about coordinating the music for the Halftime Show during the 2008 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans.                    
 
1:44:16-His approach to adapt to any music setting he is a part of and how the word, collaboration can be misconstrued.                        
 


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Musical selections are from Nabaté Isles' album, 'Eclectic Excursions', available on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, Tidal, etc. Check out his website as well: www.nabateisles.com

 

 

 

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