Mo' Better Blues (soundtrack)
Music From "Mo' Better Blues" is a collaborative album by Branford Marsalis Quartet and Terence Blanchard. It was released in 1990 through Columbia/CBS Records as a soundtrack to Spike Lee's 1990 film Mo' Better Blues. Recording sessions took place at RCA Studios and Sound On Sound in New York. Production was handled by Bill Lee, Delfeayo Marsalis, Raymond Jones and DJ Premier, with Spike Lee serving as executive producer. It features contributions from film stars Cynda Williams, Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes, and American hip hop duo Gang Starr.
| Music from Mo' Better Blues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album to Mo' Better Blues by Branford Marsalis Quartet featuring Terence Blanchard | ||||
| Released | July 31, 1990 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 37:35 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer |
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| Spike Lee film soundtracks chronology | ||||
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| Branford Marsalis albums chronology | ||||
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| Terence Blanchard albums chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Music From "Mo' Better Blues" | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
The album peaked at number 63 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. Music video was released for a single "Jazz Thing". In 1991, the soundtrack received a nomination for a Soul Train Music Award for Best Jazz Album, while the song "Again Never" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards.
Accolades
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albumism | 100 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time | — | |
| Complex | The 50 Greatest Movie Soundtracks of All Time | — | |
| Consequence of Sound | The 100 Greatest Movie Soundtracks of All Time | 80 |
|
| The Boombox | 20 Great Hip-Hop/Jazz Albums of the '90s | — | |
| Vulture | The 40 Greatest Movie Soundtracks of All Time | 23 |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Harlem Blues" (featuring Cynda Williams) | William Christopher Handy | Raymond Jones | 4:50 |
| 2. | "Say Hey" | Branford Marsalis | Delfeayo Marsalis | 3:18 |
| 3. | "Knocked Out the Box" | B. Marsalis | Delfeayo Marsalis | 1:35 |
| 4. | "Again, Never" | William James Edwards Lee III | Bill Lee | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Mo' Better Blues" | Lee III | Bill Lee | 3:39 |
| 6. | "Pop Top 40" (featuring Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes) |
| Delfeayo Marsalis | 5:40 |
| 7. | "Beneath the Underdog" | B. Marsalis | Delfeayo Marsalis | 5:07 |
| 8. | "Jazz Thing" (featuring Gang Starr) |
| 4:50 | |
| 9. | "Harlem Blues (Acapulco Version)" (featuring Cynda Williams) | Handy | Raymond Jones | 4:48 |
| Total length: | 37:35 | |||
Personnel
- Branford Marsalis – soprano and tenor saxophone, co-producer (track 8)
- Kenny Kirkland – piano
- Robert Hurst – bass
- Jeff "Tain" Watts – drums
- Terence Blanchard – trumpet
- Cynda Williams – backing vocals (track 1), alto vocals (track 9)
- Denzel Washington – vocals (track 6)
- Wesley Snipes – vocals (track 6)
- Keith "GuRu" Elam – rap vocals (track 8)
- B. David Whitworth – backing vocals (track 8)
- Mark Ledford – backing vocals (track 8)
- Tawatha Agee – backing vocals (track 8)
- Brooklyn Crooks – chorus shouts vocals (track 8)
- Clare Fischer – string arrangement and conductor (tracks: 1, 9)
- Peter Hunstein – programming (track 8)
- Raymond Jones – producer (tracks: 1, 9)
- Delfeayo Marsalis – producer (tracks: 2, 3, 6, 7)
- William "Bill" Lee III – producer (tracks: 4, 5)
- Chris "DJ Premier" Martin – producer (track 8)
- Larry DeCarmine – recording (tracks: 1, 9)
- Larry Ferguson – mixing (tracks: 1, 9)
- Patrick Smith – recording and mixing (tracks: 2–7)
- Rob Hunter – recording and mixing (track 8)
- Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee – executive producer
- Ken Kochman – design
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[7] | 63 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] | 21 |
| US Traditional Jazz Albums (Billboard)[9] | 1 |
References
- Yanow, Scott. "Music from Mo' Better Blues - Branford Marsalis | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- McIntosh, Daryl (May 8, 2020). "100 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time: 'Mo' Better Blues' (1990)". Albumism. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- "The 50 Greatest Movie Soundtracks of All Time". Complex. October 16, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- Suzanne-Mayer, Dominick (November 18, 2017). "The 100 Greatest Movie Soundtracks of All Time". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- Fitzgerald, Trent (August 5, 2018). "20 Great Hip-Hop/Jazz Albums of the '90s". The Boombox. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- Murray, Noel (October 4, 2018). "The 40 Greatest Movie Soundtracks of All Time". Vulture. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- "Terence Blanchard Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart: Week of October 20, 1990". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- "Traditional Jazz Albums Chart: Week of October 27, 1990". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
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