Quotes by Branford Marsalis

About Branford Marsalis:

Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

I haven't heard anything new that I've liked on the show. A lot of the bands we play with are just bad, especially those alternative rock bands. They can do it in the studio but they can't play live... I see the audience applauding while they're play...

Branford Marsalis

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

One of the things that I loved about listening to Miles Davis is that Miles always had an instinct for which musicians were great for what situations. He could always pick a band, and that was the thing that separated him from everybody else.

Branford Marsalis

I like to make records sound good. I'm more like a reducer than a producer. If an artist cannot produce themselves, what's the point?

Branford Marsalis

That's kind of like how jazz is sometimes. You're out there predicting the future, and no one believes you.

Branford Marsalis

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

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

Jazz fans love Miles and I love him for a myriad of reasons, but the overviews are always too simplistic.

Branford Marsalis

It's something that jazz has gotten away from, and it's unfortunate. Players aren't physical anymore.

Branford Marsalis

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 dow...

Branford Marsalis

There's not one Tin Pan Alley song on my record.

Branford Marsalis

The lion's share of what I hear right now are people who, intentional or accidental, have avoided all jazz prior to 1960. And all the musicians who were successful in the '60s spent their entire lives, prior to 1960, listening to all the musicians th...

Branford Marsalis

I'm not going to play funk licks on a jazz album. That makes no sense.

Branford Marsalis

If it's not going to sound like Terrapin Station, what's the point of playing Terrapin Station?

Branford Marsalis

If I were like a lot of other people, then it wouldn't be fun; but since I'm like me, it's okay.

Branford Marsalis

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

We played it as long as we could play it on that CD and I think it might be 50 minutes, maybe. What you have to do is play a couple of songs and then get off the stage because everything that trails it sounds stupid.

Branford Marsalis

I think that one of the problems that jazz has is that it's so incestuous that it's starting to kill itself.

Branford Marsalis

I gave up my base in popular culture when I left the Tonight Show.

Branford Marsalis

I think that if you keep banging at the door all you need is a little foothold, a little tiny foothold, and then the rest will take care of itself.

Branford Marsalis

Author Bio

  • NameBranford Marsalis
  • DescriptionAmerican musician
  • BornAugust 26, 1960
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionComposer; Jazz Musician