Branford Marsalis Quartet

**One of the greatest saxophonists of the past 40 years, both in jazz and in his ventures into funk, hip-hop, and classical music, Branford Marsalis is a bonafide musical megastar.**

Branford Marsalis is the son of New Orleans pianist Ellis Marsalis and brother to fellow front-rank musicians Jason, Wynton a Delfeayo. The brothers' paths have crossed on several joint projects, though they haven't always seen eye to eye. Wynton accused Branford of 'deserting' jazz when the latter joined Sting's band, with whom he played from 1985 to 1999, appearing on the singer's most important albums. Family disputes calmed over time, although Branford continued to explore avenues outside jazz, performin with psychedelic legends the Grateful Dead, and guesting with hip-hop group Public Enemy. He continued to explore hip-hop in his own band Buckshot LeFonque, which he formed in the mid-1990s.

Since 1986 he's been a fixture at the forefront of the jazz scene leading the Branford Marsalis Quartet, which has gone through several personnel changes over the years but remains an exceptionally highly-rated band. The initial line-up featured pianist Kenny Kirkland, drummer Jeff Tain Watts, and bassist Robert Hurst, and the band maintained the high bar it had set for itself when Eric Revis took over bass duties and Joey Calderazzo stepped in following the death of Kirkland. In the new millenium, Marsalis began working with symphony orchestras including the New York Philharmonic on classical music projects, the most famous of which is Glazuov's concerto for alto saxophone. His repertoire also includes the Hot-sonate for alto sax and orchestra written by Prague-born Erwin Schulhoff.

The 63-year-old Grammy winner who holds honorary doctorates from several American universities comes to Prague at the peak of his creative powers, pouring into his quartet work all the experience of an exceptionally rich musical life