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 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]

The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born
Studio album by Branford Marsalis
Released	October 1991
Recorded	May – June 1991
Studio	CTS (London, UK) RCA (New York City, US)
Genre	Jazz
Length	1:09:38
Label	Sony Music
Producer	George Butler (executive producer); Delfeayo 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
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
DownBeat
Entertainment Weekly	B+[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[3]

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

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Roused About"	Robert Hurst	8:08
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 Hurst	12:47

All tracks are written by Branford Marsalis, except where indicated

Personnel

• Branford Marsalis – tenor & soprano saxophones
• Jeff "Tain" Watts – drums
• Robert Hurst – bass
• Wynton Marsalis – trumpet on "Cain & Abel"
• Courtney Pine – tenor saxophone on "Dewey Baby"

References

1. AllMusic Review
2. Giddings, Gary (1992-01-17). "The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
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 2014-09-13. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
5. Branford Marsalis - The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2023-12-01
6. Yanow, Scott. Allmusic Review, accessed October 8, 2014.
7. "Picks and Pans Review: The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born". People. 1991-11-25. Retrieved 2014-10-08.

External links

• BranfordMarsalis.com