News

For Immediate Release:
July 14, 2009

Media Contact:
Kathleen Kiernan
585.784.5006

Branford Marsalis in a benefit performance at Eastman Theater Concert Celebrates 175th Anniversary of the City of Rochester.

Rochester, NY – World-renowned saxophonist and three-time Grammy winner   Branford Marsalis and the Marsalis quartet come to Rochester at the new Eastman Theater on Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 7 p.m. to benefit the Lifetime Assistance Foundation.  

The Inspiration Award Event recognizes an individual who provides inspiration to each of us through his/her own achievements and life work. The annual event raises funds and awareness for the Lifetime Assistance Foundation, a local not-for-profit providing support for programs and services to area citizens with developmental disabilities and their families.  Past recipients include; Maya Angelou, Itzhak Perlman and Branford’s brother Wynton Marsalis.

“We are thrilled to host Branford Marsalis and proud to celebrate the grand reopening of the Eastman Theater and the 175th anniversary of the City of Rochester” said, President and CEO, James Branciforte and we thank our community for sharing in our commitment to Monroe County citizens with developmental disabilities.”
 
The New Orleans native was born into one of the city’s most distinguished musical families, which includes patriarch/pianist/educator Ellis and Branford’s siblings Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason. Branford gained initial acclaim through his work with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and his brother Wynton’s quintet in the early 1980s before forming his own ensemble. He has also performed and recorded with a who’s-who of jazz giants including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins.

Known for his innovative spirit and broad musical scope, Branford is equally at home on the stages of the world’s greatest clubs and concert halls, where he has performed jazz with his Quartet and his own unique musical approach to contemporary popular music with his band Buckshot LeFonque. In recent years, Branford also has become increasingly active as a featured soloist with such acclaimed orchestras as the Chicago, Detroit, Düsseldorf and North Carolina Symphonies and the Boston Pops, in a growing repertoire that includes compositions by Copland, Debussy, Glazunov, Ibert, Mahler, Mihaud, Rorem and Vaughan Williams.

Marsalis’s nearly two dozen recordings have received numerous accolades, including his latest CD, Metamorphosen which marks the tenth anniversary of Marsalis’ quartet, which features pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, and includes original compositions by all four members in a variety of moods, as well as features for Marsalis on tenor, soprano and alto saxophones. His previous disc, the Grammy-nominated Braggtown, was acknowledged as his quartet’s greatest recorded achievement to date.

Marsalis is also dedicated to changing the future of jazz in the classroom. He has shared his knowledge at such universities as Michigan State, San Francisco State, Stanford and North Carolina Central, with his full quartet participating in an innovative extended residency at the NCCU campus. Beyond these efforts, he is also bringing a new approach to jazz education to student musicians and listeners in colleges and high schools through Marsalis Jams, an interactive program designed by Marsalis in which leading jazz ensembles present concert/jam sessions in mini-residencies. Marsalis Jams has visited campuses in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Southwest, and established an ongoing Marsalis Berklee Jams series with the Berklee College of Music in 2008.

These diverse interests are also reflected in Marsalis’ other activities. He spent two years touring and recording with Sting, and was the musical director of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (another Lifetime Inspiration Award recipient) for two years in the 1990s. He has collaborated with the Grateful Dead and Bruce Hornsby, acted in films including Throw Mama from the Train and School Daze, provided music for Mo’ Better Blues and other films and hosted National Public Radio’s syndicated program Jazz Set.

Among the most socially conscious voices in the arts, Marsalis quickly immersed himself in relief efforts following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He is the honorary chair of the New Orleans Habitat for Humanity effort to rebuild the city, and together with his friend Harry Connick, Jr. conceived the Habitat Musicians' Village currently under construction in the city's historic Ninth Ward.

Whether on the stage, in the recording studio, in the classroom or in the community, Branford Marsalis represents a commitment to musical excellence and a determination to keep music at the forefront.

Tickets ($30-$55) for the Branford Marsalis performance at Eastman theater are available through Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster outlets.