AllMovie

In the mid-'80s, saxophonist Branford Marsalis emerged as one of the most acclaimed (and most popular) new artists in jazz. A member of a distinguished musical family and a stylistic innovator as comfortable working with pop and rock musicians as fellow jazz artists, Marsalis brought challenging contemporary jazz to a mass audience as the bandleader of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; he also toured and recorded with Sting and the Grateful Dead, as well as recording and performing with his own ensemble. Branford Marsalis: The Music Tells You is a 1992 documentary about Marsalis' life and career that explores the challenges and the realities of life as a jazz artist, as well as featuring Marsalis and his group performing several of their compositions.