Most have probably heard of Branford from his stint as Leno's band leader on The Tonight Show. Shortly after his departure, his younger (and more talented) brother Wynton came into the spotlight by winning the Pulitzer Prize--the first ever by a jazz musician. Now after ten years of silence, Branford has re-grouped his legendary quartet and together, they've delivered their best work yet.

Unfortunately, there is some bad news that accompanies this wonderful album. Branford's longtime piano player, and world renowned jazz great Kenny Kirkland, passed away before the completion of the album. Every track has Kirkland's original take. Keeping that in mind while listening to each track, you can't help but be amazed at how wonderfully he played. However, Kirkland's playing does not overshadow the other three members. Branford, drummer Jeff Watts (also from The Tonight Show), and bassist Eric Revis blend together magically to give a lasting impression of just how real jazz quartets should sound.

With Requiem, the Branford Marsalis Quartet have finally seemed to have found the sound that they've always been striving for. Not to say that their earlier albums were bad, but this is by far their finest.