The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (album)

For the novel by Ayi Kwei Armah, see The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born.

The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born
Studio album by
Branford Marsalis
ReleasedOctober 1991
RecordedMay – June 1991
Studio
  • CTS (London, UK)
  • RCA (New York City, US)
GenreJazz
Length69:38
LabelSony Music
ProducerDelfeayo Marsalis
Branford Marsalis chronology
Crazy People Music
(1990) 		The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born
(1991) 		I Heard You Twice the First Time
(1992)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
DownBeat
Entertainment WeeklyB+[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[3]

The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born is a jazz album by Branford Marsalis, leading a trio with Jeff "Tain" Watts and Robert Hurst and with guest appearances from Wynton Marsalis and Courtney Pine. It was recorded May 16–18, 1991, at CTS Studio A, Wembley, England, and June 24, 1991, at RCA Studio B in New York City.[4] It peaked at number 3 on the Top Jazz Albums chart.[5]

Calling it "one of Branford Marsalis' strongest of the 1990s", Scott Yanow notes in his AllMusic review: "His playing is often reminiscent in style (but not really sound) of John Coltrane, he is more concise and disciplined than in some of his early-'90s concert appearances and [h3] is at his most explorative on this inventive blowing session."[6] Other reviewers concurred. People called Marsalis's tone "rich and round… his phrasing and rhythm beautifully fluid."[7] Entertainment Weekly gave a slightly more nuanced review, calling the recording "a very long and uncompromising trio recital in which Marsalis [demonstrates] his own stunning command of tenor and soprano sax. Indeed, if anything the album is too pure: The strain of improvising with only the spartan sound of bass and drums for support ultimately gets wearying…"

The album's title references the 1968 novel of the same name by Ghanaian writer Ayi Kwei Armah.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Branford Marsalis, except where indicated.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Roused About"Robert Hurst8:08
2."The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born" 13:42
3."Xavier's Lair" 8:54
4."Cain & Abel" 7:34
5."Citizen Tain" 8:04
6."Gilligan's Isle" 10:45
7."Dewey Baby" 9:08
8."Beat's Remark"Robert Hurst12:47

Personnel

References

  1. ^ AllMusic Review
  2. ^ Giddings, Gary (January 17, 1992). "The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  3. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 947. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  4. ^ "The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born". Branford Marsalis.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  5. ^ Branford Marsalis - The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved December 1, 2023
  6. ^ Yanow, Scott. Allmusic Review, accessed October 8, 2014.
  7. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born". People. November 25, 1991. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  • BranfordMarsalis.com [1]
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