A recognizable name even outside jazz circles, saxophonist/composer Branford Marsalis first gained notice alongside his younger brother Wynton in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. The next year he toured with Herbie Hancock, and by 1985—after playing for some time with his brother’s quintet—he had recorded with Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. The career that followed has roughly maintained that same trajectory in persistence. Marsalis has rarely spent much time at rest, seemingly driven to constantly try new things, including touring and recording with Sting in 1985 and achieving household-name recognition as Jay Leno’s bandleader in 1992. In the 2000s, he ventured into Broadway scoring, winning a Tony Award for his score of August Wilson’s Fences, and debuting with the New York Philharmonic in 2010. Thirty-five years into his career, Branford Marsalis remains intent on continually breaking new ground.

Featuring:
Branford Marsalis - saxophones
Joey Calderazzo - piano
Eric Revis - bass
Justin Faulkner - drums