Branford Marsalis
New Orleans-born Branford Marsalis is an award-winning saxophonist, bandleader, featured classical soloist, and a film and Broadway composer. Over the years, he has become a multi-award-winning artist with three Grammy Awards, a citation as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts, and a recognized figure of contemporary artistic excellence.

The Branford Marsalis Quartet, formed in 1986, remains his primary outlet for musical expression. In its uninterrupted three-plus decades of existence, the Quartet has demonstrated a rare breadth of stylistic range and has long been considered the standard by which other ensembles of its kind are measured. The Quartet recently made its Blue Note Records debut with the release of Belonging, a full-album interpretation of Keith Jarrett’s 1974 ECM album of the same name.

Branford’s musical reach extends far beyond the jazz quartet. He recently composed a classical suite commissioned by the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and is frequently featured as a soloist with renowned orchestras around the world. His classical repertoire includes works by composers such as Copland, Debussy, Glazunov, Ibert, John Williams, Mahler, Milhaud, Rorem, Vaughan Williams, and Villa-Lobos. His legendary guest performances with the Grateful Dead and collaborations with Sting have also earned him widespread acclaim in the pop world.

His screen credits as a composer include original music for Rustin starring Colman Domingo; the History Channel’s documentary Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre; Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom starring Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman; The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks starring Oprah Winfrey; and Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues. He received a 2021 Emmy nomination for his original score for Tulsa Burning in the category of Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score).

On Broadway, Branford’s work has earned him a Drama Desk Award and a Tony nomination for the acclaimed revival of Fences. He recently arranged and orchestrated music for a new production about Louis Armstrong titled A Wonderful World. His previous Broadway credits include music for the revivals of Children of a Lesser God, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Mountaintop, which starred Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson.