Branford Marsalis Quartet

“Marsalis performs and speaks with a combination of fire and tenderness” – Pop Matters

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is one of the most influential and revered figures in contemporary music. The NEA Jazz Master, three-time Grammy winner and Tony nominee regularly performs concertos with symphony orchestras and sits in with members of the Grateful Dead. However, the core of his musical universe remains the Branford Marsalis Quartet. Further, this celebrated ensemble has been revered for more than three decades of existence with minimal personnel changes. The group is acclaimed for its uncompromising interpretation of a kaleidoscopic range of original compositions and jazz and popular classics.

Guest vocalist Kurt Elling was seamlessly integrated into the group for 2016’s Grammy‐nominated Upward Spiral. The Quartet followed it up with 2019’s Grammy‐nominated The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul. This is their most emotionally wide‐ranging and melody driven collection to date. John Zeugner captured the impact of the Quartet in live performance in a recent concert review. There, he called it “casually confident, professional, cerebral, and supercharged with energy. The Branford Marsalis Quartet…was all of those adjectives and more.”

New Orleans-born Branford Marsalis is an award-winning saxophonist, bandleader, featured classical soloist, and a film and Broadway composer. The Quartet, formed in 1986, remains his primary means of expression. However, Branford has not confined his music to the jazz quartet context. A frequent soloist with classical ensembles, Branford has become increasingly sought after as a featured soloist with acclaimed orchestras worldwide. Here, he performs works by composers such as Copland, Debussy, Glazunov, Ibert, Mahler, Milhaud, Rorem, Vaughan Williams and Villa-Lobos. Additionally, his legendary guest performances with the Grateful Dead and collaborations with Sting have made him a fan favorite in the pop arena.

Recommended for fans of John Coltrane, Chris Potter, Terence Blanchard and Joshua Redman.

LEARN MORE: https://www.branfordmarsalis.com/

📸: Eric Ryan Anderson