Branford Marsalis Quartet – Belonging (2xLP)

The Branford Marsalis Quartet returns after a six-year break with a project that feels both intimate and daring. Belonging revisits Keith Jarrett’s 1974 classic of the same name, not as an act of imitation but as a conversation across generations. Marsalis and his long-time bandmates strip the music to its emotional core, giving space and tension equal footing. Every exchange between saxophone, piano, bass and drums feels alive, with the group breathing as one unit rather than a collection of soloists.

What makes the record compelling is its restraint. Instead of leaning on virtuosity, the quartet embraces nuance—the quiet sway between lyricism and silence, the weight of a single phrase. It’s jazz made by musicians who trust each other completely, honouring Jarrett’s original while revealing new shades of tone and feeling. The result is warm, searching and quietly profound.

Reviews

“Belonging… a reprise of Keith Jarrett’s groundbreaking 1974 album that is also Marsalis’s debut for the Blue Note label skilfully resurrected by Don Was.” — The Guardian

“50 years after the release of Keith Jarrett’s classic album ‘Belonging’ the Branford Marsalis Quartet conjures an impressive reinterpretation that is both respectful and brimming with excitement.” — Jazz Views

“[The album] hits the sweet spot again and again and again, re-interpreting and re-imagining Keith Jarrett’s epochal 1974 ECM classic.” — All About Jazz