The piano is the X factor. People have a tough time following the structures when there’s no piano there, spelling it out. It makes it more easily understood, particularly to people who don’t know as much about music. Branford Marsalis Read Quote
There’s a certain kind of motion and pacing that our music has, and this just doesn’t have that. We just kind of rushed to the conclusion of most of the songs. I just would’ve preferred to done them over. Branford Marsalis Read Quote
Humans are imperfect. That’s one of the reasons that classical and jazz are in trouble. We’re on the quest for the perfect performance and every note has to be right. Man, every note is not right in life. Branford Marsalis Read Quote
My dad was a musician, it was just what he did, like another guy’s dad drives a meat truck. Our house was normal. We weren’t taken with the fact our dad was a musician. Branford Marsalis Read Quote
If you’re going to use standards as criteria for signing musicians, you can sign thousands. If you’re going to use some sort of conceptual interpretation that’s based on the tradition of those standards, but is trying to move away from it, you’re down to about 10 people or so. Branford Marsalis Read Quote
The whole point is, give me a break with the standards. You go to the average jazz label and suggest a record and they want to know which standards you’re going to play. I’m saying let’s break the formula. Branford Marsalis Read Quote
Pop doesn’t really look back. It can’t. What makes pop work is simplicity. Branford Marsalis Read Quote
If you listen to a lot of the songs that are popular now, there’s very little melody in there. People love the beat. But to musicians, it’s melody, because we understand how elusive it is and how hard it is to hold. Branford Marsalis Read Quote
