Requiem

What began as a return to Marsalis’ hot-blowing acoustic jazz attitude took on a different meaning with the premature death of his longtime compadre, the masterful, misunderstood pianist Kenny Kirkland. Though technically ”unfinished,” the record serves as a fitting requiem. Musically, it shifts between neo-hard-bopping intensity and a yearning lyricism. All told, an inspiring set that showcases Marsalis’ expressive fluidity and lends a rueful, finalizing punctuation mark to Kirkland’s brilliant and too-brief career. B+