Romare Bearden Revealed
Romare Bearden Revealed is a jazz album by the Branford Marsalis Quartet, featuring Branford Marsalis, Eric Revis, Jeff "Tain" Watts, and Joey Calderazzo, with guest appearances by Harry Connick Jr., Wynton Marsalis, Doug Wamble, Reginald Veal, and other members of the Marsalis family. The album, which was recorded June 23–25, 2003 at Clinton Studios in New York, New York, was recorded in celebration of a retrospective exhibit of the art of Romare Bearden which opened at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and subsequently traveled to San Francisco, Dallas, New York and Atlanta in 2004  and 2005. The album recorded jazz tunes whose names Bearden had used for paintings as well as original compositions. Reception. The album peaked at number 19 on the "Billboard" Top Jazz Albums chart. Writing for AllMusic.com, Matt Collar called the album an "earthy and accessible homage" to Bearden, noting strong performances by Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr., and Doug Wamble. Ben Ratliff in the New York Times says the album "reflects the nexus of country and city" and calls the performance by Marsalis's quartet "reliably hot." JazzTimes called Marsalis's playing "better than ever" and noted the "joyous, emphatic  quality" of the performances. And Don Williamson, in JazzReview.com, calls the album "consistent in its evocation of Bearden’s all-consuming musical interests," singling out the Marsalis family performance of "Jungle Blues" as "a joyous celebration of musical kinship."