September 7, 2004
Contact: Susan Gwynne
(805) 893-2098
e-mail: gwynne-s@sa.ucsb.edu

The Branford Marsalis Quartet, one of the hottest combos in the jazz world, makes its Santa Barbara debut

Summary Facts:

• The Branford Marsalis Quartet
• With a special solo piano opening set by Joey Calderazzo
• Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is a Grammy Award-winning jazz superstar
• The quartet makes its Santa Barbara debut
• Sunday, October 10 / 7 pm
• UCSB Campbell Hall
• General public: $45 / UCSB students: $19
• Tickets/information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at 893-3535

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis—known for his innovative spirit, emotional intensity and improvisatory genius—will front a stellar group in a concert of hot jazz on Sunday, October 10 at 7 pm at UCSB Campbell Hall. A special solo opening set by pianist Joey Calderazzo will precede the performance by the Branford Marsalis Quartet. Marsalis, a Grammy Award-winner hailed for his “fluid and fiery” playing (JAZZIZ), has had a wide-ranging career, fronting jazz groups, touring with Sting and leading The Tonight Show band. His stunning quartet features Joey Calderazzo, Eric Revis on bass and the indomitable Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums. The Chicago Tribune calls Marsalis, “One of the most technically accomplished, intellectually provocative tenor saxophonists in the mainstream tradition.”

Branford Marsalis has continued to exercise and expand his skills as a performer, a composer and, as the head of his Marsalis Music label, a producer for both his own projects and those of the jazz world’s most promising new artists. For his most recent CD—Romare Bearden Revealed, created in conjunction with The Art of Romare Bearden, a retrospective of the great African-American visual artist curated by the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.—Marsalis took on many of these roles. The album presents new versions of jazz classics that inspired Bearden, as well as original compositions in his honor. Other recent releases from Marsalis include Footsteps of Our Fathers, a stunning interpretation of seminal works by jazz immortals Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, John Lewis and Ornette Coleman, and The Marsalis Family: A Jazz Celebration, recorded with his father, legendary jazz pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis, and his brothers: trumpeter Wynton, trombonist Delfeayo and drummer Jason.

The New Orleans native was born into one of the city’s most distinguished musical families, and first came to national prominence as a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers along with his brother Wynton. In 1984, Scenes in the City, Branford’s first album for Columbia Jazz, began his thriving jazz career, while he was also making successful forays into the pop world with artists such as the Grateful Dead, Sting and Bruce Hornsby.

Marsalis won his first Grammy in 1993 (Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group) for his album I Heard You Twice the First Time, and his second in 1994 (Best Pop Instrumental Performance) for “Barcelona Mona,” a single he recorded with Bruce Hornsby for the Olympics in Spain. His 1993 trio album Bloomington was also hailed as a landmark in contemporary jazz, which the Los Angeles Times found “revealing and beautiful in ways only the best improvisational music can be.” In 1995 Branford received another Grammy nomination (Best Pop Instrumental Performance) for his stirring rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” on which he and Bruce Hornsby teamed once again for Ken Burns’ memorable PBS series Baseball.

In addition to performing, Marsalis is an in-demand producer and soundtrack composer. He produced two Latin Grammy-nominated CDs for saxophonist David Sánchez, and more recently Ceremonial, the U.S. recording debut of alto saxophonist/composer Miguel Zenón, a member of the SFJAZZ Collective. Marsalis’s film work includes the scores for the Disney/NBC film Single Dad and Once in the Life, the directorial debut of acclaimed actor Lawrence Fishburne. He has also participated in the soundtracks to several Spike Lee films, including Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X and Clockers.

From the time of his emergence with Michael Brecker in 1986 through his recent work in the Branford Marsalis Quartet, pianist Joey Calderazzo has proved to be among the most intense and engaged of contemporary soloists and accompanists. His energy, technique and rapid fire imagination have marked him as one of the most exciting jazz pianists to emerge in the past two decades. Bassist Eric Revis, the Grammy Award winning musician who started his professional career playing with Betty Carter and for the past seven years has been a member of Branford Marsalis Quartet, recently released his first album Tales of the Stuttering Mime. Jeff “Tain” Watts came to fame as drummer with the early Wynton Marsalis band. He has been greatly in demand ever since, playing and recording with such musicians as Ricky Ford, Robin Eubanks, Betty Carter, McCoy Tyner and Branford Marsalis. He made his debut as a leader for the Sunnyside label in 1991 and joined the Tonight Show Band when Branford Marsalis became its director.

The Branford Marsalis Quartet is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and sponsored by the Santa Barbara Independent, Wilson Printing and KLITE. Tickets for the concerts are $45 for the general public and $19 for UCSB students. They are on sale now and can also be purchased at the door, if still available.

For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.

Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.