Influential, respected and lauded (including an Edison in 2014): no one on today’s jazz scene can ignore Branford Marsalis. He never shies away from pushing back boundaries. Marsalis is usually associated with contemporary acoustic jazz with roots in hard bop. In addition, the versatile virtuoso once jammed with hippie icons the Grateful Dead. He has played in Sting's band as well as with symphony orchestras, led the funk group Buckshot Lefonque and during his current tour, he covers a song by the fusion band Weather Report. Although he explores many directions, Marsalis' world revolves primarily around his Branford Marsalis Quartet whose lineup has hardly changed over the years. For three decades, the group has alternated a kaleidoscopic selection of their own compositions with jazz and popular classics. Their most recent live album, the Grammy-nominated The Secret Between The Shadow And The Soul (2019), is bursting at the seams with intense improvisations and frenetic rhythms. Never easy listening, always Marsalis.
