Double Bass Branford Marsalis talks about Giant Steps

[brianrost]

From today's Boston Globe, an article about his upcoming appearance in Boston focuses on yet another controversial statement he made a while ago about "Giant Steps" and playing for yourself vs. playing for your audience. Bonus points for a Warne Marsh anecdote.

 

[Anne Millington]

Can you link to it, or is there a paywall?

 

[bass12]

I like Branford, and what he says in that article makes total sense to me.

 

[bass12]

Can you link to it, or is there a paywall?

Branford Marsalis will happily meet his audience where they are - The Boston Globe

No paywall, you just have to close the pop-up.

 

[damonsmith]

Eric Revis is incredible. What a sound.

 

[brianrost]

Hmm, I thought I had linked it...sorry. Senior moment... Thanks for posting it, bass12.

 

[fdeck]

It's interesting that I haven't heard Giant Steps played by a band in 10 years. My comment is about the article, and not about Marsalis, whom I have the highest respect for. The author should get out more, and find out whether the negative stereotype of the "self absorbed" jazz musician is actually worth perpetuating.

At least, out here in the Midwest.

Granted, I've been to gigs and jams where the next generation of young lions were blowing their asses off, on the canon of difficult Bebop tunes, but it always appeared to just a passing phase of the training process en route to becoming a mature, versatile jazz player. Likewise, my kids studied classical music, and the classical training repertoire is also over-represented on YouTube.

Today, the idea that jazz musicians are playing past the audience just has to die. It's not helping anybody, and I'm skeptical of whether it's based on actually experiencing live performances. It may be self-perpetuating in the sense that it predisposes people to experience music in a way that confirms their expectations. The bands I play with are highly conscious of connecting with the audience. This does not always mean censoring the repertoire or avoiding improvisation. We don't always succeed, but we always try.

 

[sean_on_bass]

I think he's created a satisfying rant, but misses some major nuances of the overall situation. Giant Steps will be as musical as the musicians deliver it. I could say that about any tune. It's merely a starting point for a potentially magical musical performance, or not. And i am not really sure what i am supposed to take away from his comments outside of thinking that Branford is ballsy and macho...he's trying to make himself look cool. Should i just play Sinatra covers going forward? Should i never present abstraction to the audience? Personally i am not going to do any of that and simply play tunes i think are cool/interesting/beautiful and hope that the audience feels the same way.

 

[notabene]

I couldn't open the article, but...

I love (in my tenor sax role) playing Giant Steps as a ballad. It works beautifully.

Steven

 

[chazolson]

He has a penchant for saying outrageous things, but he’s right in his attitude about his audience. I’m sure he knows Ornette Coleman as well as Coltrane, and he doesn’t play free stuff either. You’ve gotta get your audience to follow you, and playing stuff they recognize will only help you.

 

[fdeck]

In the old Real Book, Giant Steps is face-to-face with Girl From Ipanema. In one band I played in, we cycled through both tunes, as a Bossa Nova.

 

[Sam Sherry]

We are just a bunch of jackasses who play. We are not drunk under the illusion of our own self-importance, our own radicalism. What we do is pretty radical, in terms of the fact that everybody tries to find a box that they’re good in and stay in their box — and we just go all over the place and play what we want.

He's always done that.

I saw the BM4 at Newport right after Justin Faulkner joined. They had a sub bassist too.
Bran called "Take The A Train." They nailed it, and by that I do not mean, 'They shredded all over it.' People liked it. Then they called the next tune.

In the old Real Book, Giant Steps is face-to-face with Girl From Ipanema. In one band I played in, we cycled through both tunes, as a Bossa Nova.

Works like a charm:

 

[Foggybottom]

Couldn't read the article. But recently listened to Giant Steps and loved Ron Carters palying.

 

[yodedude2]

Eric Revis is incredible. What a sound.

i got to hear that band play in tulsa a few years ago. they kicked azz, all of them. one of the best performances i've ever witnessed, and the best of the four branford concerts i've attended.

 

[jazzwalk]

From today's Boston Globe, an article about his upcoming appearance in Boston focuses on yet another controversial statement he made a while ago about "Giant Steps" and playing for yourself vs. playing for your audience. Bonus points for a Warne Marsh anecdote.

View attachment 4950655

Yes, totally agree with what Branford says, however it's certainly easy enough to make Giant Steps interesting and accessible to almost anyone, starting with slowing the freakin' runaway freight train way the hell down ...! Change the style (like what Metheny did), or from latin feel, break into swinging it hard at a medium tempo...

 

[turf3]

Play it in C!



Add some vocals!



Slow it down and use as educational aid!