4terly: What's your role going to be at Columbia Jazz? BRANFORD MARSALIS: I'm a music consultant. My job is to encourage the jazz department to sign musicians based not only on their marketability but also on their potential for artistic growth. Developing a jazz roster is very different from working with pop music. Instead of marketing musicians by image, we're going to focus on their music. All too often a record label applies a pop music philosopy to its jazz musicians. If an album isn't a big seller, the artist gets dropped. I'm committed to giving jazz musicians the time and space they need to develop their sound and build their audience. 4terly: Will this signal a new direction at the label? BM: Yes and no. In the early days of Columbia, signing an artist depended primarily on the ears of [talent scout/producer] John Hammond, who discovered many great jazz musicians who were largely unknown at the time, people like Count Basie and Charlie Christian. But later Columbia became the New York Yankees of the music business. It would allow other labels to develop the talent, then swoop down and pluck them up. That's what happened with Thelonious Monk, who recorded for Blue Note and Riverside before signing with Columbia. The same thing happened with Miles Davis. If you really think about it, the only artist Columbia has signed and really allowed to develop in the last decade has been my brother Wynton. 4terly: So, in keeping with the metaphor of a major league baseball franchise, you're committed to fielding a strong team by having a long-range plan that's based on drafting talented players while they're still developing their game. BM: Exactly. We want to be able to say we had the foresight to sign artists who were going to be successful. 4terly: Your first Columbia draft pick is saxophonist David S. Ware who has often been pegged as an avant-garde musician. Why did you sign him? BM: Because David is a pure musician and a great instrumentalist who's honed his craft to a high level. This guy is a wellspring of expression. I hear melody when he plays. That's the basis of his music. David is a great asset to Columbia Jazz and he will continue to develop and grow. 4terly: Your own Buckshot LaFonque CDs are very attuned to contemporary music. Will you be signing artists who are exploring new ideas? BM: We're definitely looking for musicians who are seeking to elevate jazz by experimenting with new ways of expression based on the jazz tradition. I strongly feel that listeners today want to be challenged. For a jazz label to survive, you can't feed people Duke Ellington 24 hours a day. 4terly: Are you excited about your work at Columbia? BM: Very much so. I'm especially excited about having the opportunity to showcase the music. Too often image is primary and the music secondary. We're changing that around. In the long run, this will pay off for Columbia, but most importantly it will guarantee the vitality of jazz well into the next century.
Branford Marsalis Site

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