Crazy People Music

Crazy People Music is a jazz album featuring the Branford Marsalis Quartet, led by saxophonist Branford Marsalis and featuring Kenny Kirkland, Jeff "Tain" Watts, and Robert Hurst. It was recorded January 10, February 18, and March 1, 1990, at RCA Studios in New York, New York.^[1] It peaked at number 3 on the Top Jazz Albums chart.^[2] It was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1990 for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist.^[1][3]

Crazy People Music
Studio album by Branford Marsalis
Released	July 1990
Recorded	January 10, February 18 & March 1, 1990
Genre	Jazz
Length	1:04:32
Label	Sony Music
Producer	Dr. George Butler (executive producer); Delfeayo Marsalis
Branford Marsalis chronology
Mo' Better Blues (1990) Crazy People Music (1990) The Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born (1991)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[5]
Select	2/5[6]

Scott Yanow notes in his AllMusic review, "It's an impressive group… ['The Ballad of Chet Kincaid'] would catch on to a general audience, but on the others Marsalis is heard throughout in prime form, sounding more original and pushing himself."^[7]

Several critics point to Crazy People Music as a turning point for Marsalis. Nate Chinen of JazzTimes called the album the "first major statement" of Marsalis's new quartet,^[8] and Paul Wells wrote in 2014 that the album was when "the band's vision coalesced."^[9] Marsalis himself notes, "Crazy People Music was kind of a breakthrough record. We were starting to pull away from the typical post-bop stuff. We weren't really free of it yet…"^[10]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Spartacus"		8:36
2.	"The Dark Knight"	Robert Hurst	12:47
3.	"Wolverine"		10:42
4.	"Mr. Steepee"		6:18
5.	"Rose Petals"	Keith Jarrett	11:11
6.	"Random Abstract (Diddle-It)"		9:19
7.	"The Ballad of Chet Kincaid (Hikky Burr)"	Bill Cosby, Quincy Jones	5:41

All tracks are written by Branford Marsalis, except where noted

Personnel

• Branford Marsalis - saxophones
• Jeff "Tain" Watts - drums
• Robert Hurst - bass
• Kenny Kirkland - piano

References

1. "Crazy People Music". Branford Marsalis.com. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
2. Allmusic Guide
3. Pareles, Jon (1991-01-11). "Grammy Nominees Announced". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
4. AllMusic Review
5. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 947. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
6. Rice, Glenn (August 1990). "Branford Marshalis: Crazy People Music". Select. p. 101.
7. Yanow, Scott. Allmusic Review accessed 7 October 2014.
8. Chinen, Nate (November 2000). "Branford Marsalis: Committed". Jazz Times. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
9. Wells, Paul (2014-07-02). "Branford Marsalis Times Two". Maclean's. Retrieved 2014-10-07.
10. Tunis, Walter (2010-11-11). "Branford Marsalis has his finger on jazz's pulse". LexGo. Archived from the original on 2010-11-13. Retrieved 2014-10-07.

External links

• BranfordMarsalis.com