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Branford Marsalis Concert
April 13 @ 7:30 pm
Taft Theatre
$29.50 – $49.50
Photo provided by Taft Theatre Press Release
Tickets for the Branford Marsalis Cincinnati concert start at $29.50. Get yours today!
NEA Jazz Master, renowned Grammy Award®‐winning saxophonist and Tony Award® nominee Branford Marsalis is one of the most revered instrumentalists of his time. A leader of one of the finest jazz quartets today, and a frequent soloist with classical ensembles, Marsalis’ most current recording with his quartet is Four MFs Playin’ Tunes. Jazz lovers don’t want to miss this Branford Marsalis Cincinnati concert.
Ticket prices range from $29.50 – $49.50 (plus applicable fees) and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster or by visiting the Taft Theatre Box Office.
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Branford Marsalis has stayed the course. From his early acclaim as a saxophonist bringing new energy and new audiences to jazz, he has refined and expanded his talents and his horizons as a musician, composer, bandleader and educator – a 21st Century mainstay of artistic excellence. Growing up in the rich environment of New Orleans as the oldest son of pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis, Branford was drawn to music along with siblings Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason.
When the brothers left to form the Wynton Marsalis Quintet, the world of uncompromising acoustic jazz was invigorated. Branford formed his own quartet in 1986 and, with a few minor interruptions in the early years, has sustained the unit as his primary means of expression. Known for the telepathic communication among its uncommonly consistent personnel, its deep book of original music replete with expressive melodies and provocative forms, and an unrivaled spirit in both live and recorded performances, the Branford Marsalis Quartet has long been recognized as the standard to which other ensembles of its kind must be measured.
Branford has not confined his music to the quartet context. In addition to guest turns with a legion of giants including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins, he has excelled in duets with several major pianists, including his boyhood friend Harry Connick, Jr. and the longtime pianist in his quartet, Joey Calderazzo. Branford’s first solo concert, at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral, is documented on his 2014 recording, In My Solitude.
Classical music inhabits a growing portion of Branford’s musical universe. With a repertoire including works by Copland, Debussy, Glazunov, Ibert, Mahler, Milhaud, Rorem, Vaughan Williams, Villa‐Lobos and Sally Beamish (who reconceived a work in progress, “Under the Wing of the Rock,” to feature Branford’s saxophone after hearing him perform one of her earlier pieces), Branford is frequently heard with leading symphony orchestras including those in Chicago, Detroit, Dusseldorf and North Carolina as well as the New York Philharmonic.
Branford formed the Marsalis Music label in 2002, and under his direction, it has documented his own music, talented new stars such as Miguel Zenón, and un‐heralded older masters including one of Branford’s teachers, the late Alvin Batiste. Branford has also shared his knowledge as an educator, forming extended teaching relationships at Michigan State, San Francisco State and North Carolina Central Universities and conducting workshops at sites throughout the United States and the world.
Some might gauge Branford Marsalis’s success by his numerous awards, including three Grammys and (together with his father and brothers) his citation as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts. To Branford, however, these are only weigh stations along what continues to be one of the most fascinating and rewarding journeys in the world of music.
About Music & Event Management, Inc. Music & Event Management, Inc. (MEMI) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the leading promoter of live entertainment in Southwest Ohio. MEMI is recognized as an innovative leader in creating, booking, producing and marketing first‐class live entertainment experiences. Current venues/produced events include Riverbend Music Center, PNC Pavilion, Stuart & Mimi Rose Music Center At The Heights, The Taft Theatre, The Ballroom at The Taft Theatre, The Longworth Anderson Series at Memorial Hall, MidPoint Music Festival, and Cincy Cinco.
