ALBUM REVIEW : Branford Marsalis, Espressivo

BRANFORD MARSALIS

“Bloomington”

Columbia

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This date, recorded live at Indiana University in 1991, before the saxophonist joined the “Tonight Show,” is the most expressive document from a Marsalis yet. Working a six-pack of lengthy numbers in a trio setting, the saxophonist wades a wide stream of consciousness--and, for the most part, the telling of what he finds is revealing and beautiful in ways only the best improvisational music can be.

But there are times during the 75-plus-minute date when the story line is surprisingly bland, as on “Xavier’s Lair,” where Marsalis’ running commentary drags on like a caffeine-induced coffeehouse rap. In other places, Marsalis seems ready to confront the legacies of Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane--his tenor work has always borrowed heavily from these two giants--but then doesn’t go beyond them.

“The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born” holds his most personal statements, the rich, distinctive soprano tones unwinding a tangled series of emotions. Still, the real stars of the effort are bassist Bob Hurst, who brings harmonic depth and rhythmic snap to the proceedings, and drummer Jeff (Tain) Watts, whose strong, sometimes rambunctious attack is always rewarding. Biggest minus: brother and “Bloomington” producer Delfeayo Marsalis’ overblown liner notes, rivaled in their pomposity only by Stanley Crouch’s annotations for Wynton.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).