“Saxophonist Marsalis leads one of the most cohesive, intense small jazz ensembles on the scene today!” - Associated Press
Branford Marsalis Quartet, Kurt Elling, Carmen Lundy
Branford Marsalis Quartet with special guest Kurt Elling have been nominated for a 2017 GRAMMY Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album for their album, Upward Spiral!
Branford Marsalis has stayed the course. From his early acclaim as a saxophonist bringing new energy and new audiences to the jazz art, he has refined and expanded his talents and his horizons as a musician, composer, bandleader and educator – a 21st Century mainstay of artistic excellence. The 3-time Grammy Award-winning Branford Marsalis Quartet, 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, has long been recognized as the standard to which other ensembles of its kind must be measured.
The Quartet will be joined by guest-vocalist and Grammy Award-winner Kurt Elling in a singular collaboration of musical forces. Elling won the DownBeat Critics Poll for 14 consecutive years and was named “Male Singer of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association eight times in that same span. Every one of Elling’s ten albums has been nominated for a Grammy. The tight-knit working band featuring Marsalis on saxophones, Joey Calderazzo on piano, Eric Revis on bass, and Justin Faulkner on drums rarely invites other musicians into the folds of their nearly telepathically cohesive unit, and Elling’s deep jazz vocabulary, technical versatility, and outstanding intonation will enable the band to perform a variety of material in new ways.
Energized by the artistic promise of this collaboration, the band members have all contributed new arrangements to perform with this special line-up and will be looking beyond the Great American Songbook. Although following the format of a standard jazz quartet with vocals, the collaboration between jazz’s most intense band and one of jazz’s foremost singer should prove to be anything but standard.
Opening for the Quartet will be jazz vocalist, composer and Miami native, Carmen Lundy. Hailed by The Evening Standard as “a genuine jazz singer”, Lundy is celebrated throughout the world for her vocal artistry and is highly regarded for her jazz innovation. Lundy has had several Top 10 albums on JazzWeek and a #3 spot on Billboard’s Jazz Chart for 23 weeks with her debut album Good Morning Kiss. Carmen Lundy was honored with the 2016 Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Award by Black Women in Jazz and the Arts. Among her other awards and recognitions, especially rewarding was Miami-Dade's County Office of the Mayor and Board of County Commissioners proclaiming January 25th "Carmen Lundy Day”, along with handing Lundy the keys to the City of Miami. Carmen Lundy will be performing with a band comprised of Patrice Rushen on piano and keyboards, James Genus on bass, Kendrick Scott on drums and Andrew Renfroe on guitar.
3-show packages are still available starting at just $100! 