Branford Marsalis

World-renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis has always been a man of numerous musical interests. The 46-year-old, three-time Grammy winner has continued to exercise and expand his skills as an instrumentalist, a composer, and the head of Marsalis Music, the label he founded in 2002 that has allowed him to produce both his own projects and those of the jazz world’s most promising new and established artists.

The New Orleans native was born into one of the city’s most distinguished musical families, which includes patriarch/pianist/educator Ellis and Marsalis’s siblings Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason. Known for his innovative spirit and broad musical scope, Marsalis is equally at home on the stages of the world’s greatest clubs and concert halls, where he has performed jazz with his Quartet, classical music as a guest soloist with numerous chamber and symphony orchestras, and his own unique musical approach to contemporary popular music with his band Buckshot LeFonque. His nearly two dozen recordings in these various styles have received numerous accolades, with his most recent CD, Eternal, receiving both a Grammy nomination and virtually universal inclusion in lists and polls for the best jazz recording of 2004. His playing on the DVD Coltrane's “A Love Supreme” Live in Amsterdam received a Grammy nomination for best instrumental jazz solo in 2005, while the disc received awards for music and video excellence from the DVD Association.

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 latter campus. Beyond these efforts, he is also bringing a new approach to jazz education to jazz students and jazz listeners in colleges and high schools through Marsalis Jams, an interactive program in which leading jazz ensembles present concert/jam sessions in mini-residencies that have visited campuses in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southwest.

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, Marsalis represents a clear commitment to musical excellence and a determination to keep the music in the forefront.