Branford Marsalis
Tenor Saxophone / Saxophone / Soprano Saxophone

Branford Marsalis

(1960–)

United States·Berklee College of Music

Branford Marsalis (b. 1960) — Tenor Saxophone, Saxophone. Led Random Abstract, Trio Jeepy. Worked with Jeff "Tain" Watts, Kenny Kirkland, Wynton Marsalis.

Branford arrived on the jazz scene alongside his brother Wynton and has never stopped exploring. He plays both tenor and soprano with intelligence and structural clarity. His reach extends far beyond jazz — the Sting band, late-night TV bandleader — yet every note carries the rigor of a serious improviser.

Branford Marsalis's albums

Black Codes (From the Underground)
Black Codes (From the Underground)
Wynton Marsalis · 1985
Kenny Kirkland
Kenny Kirkland · 1991

Black Codes (From the Underground)Black Codes (From the Underground)Black Codes (From the Underground)Wynton Marsalis · 1985 (1985) was a manifesto for the neo-bop movement. The Branford MarsalisBranford MarsalisBranford Marsalisブランフォード・マルサリス brothers, Kenny KirklandKenny KirklandKenny Kirkland · 1991's piano, Jeff Jeff "Tain" WattsJeff "Tain" WattsJeff "Tain" Wattsジェフ・テイン・ワッツ's drums — this band devoted itself entirely to reviving bebop's language in the present tense.

Branford Marsalis's albums

The soprano sax on 'Englishman in New York' (1987) was played by Branford MarsalisBranford MarsalisBranford Marsalisブランフォード・マルサリス — eldest son of jazz royalty and veteran of Art Blakey and Miles Davis bands. He served as Sting's touring bandleader for three years, moving fluidly between jazz and pop. Marsalis later became musical director of The Tonight Show.

— Branford Marsalis on touring with Sting — JazzTimes

Branford Marsalis's videos

Kenny Kirkland
Kenny Kirkland · 1991

Full North Sea Jazz Festival concert of the golden-era Branford MarsalisBranford MarsalisBranford Marsalisブランフォード・マルサリス Quartet with Kenny KirklandKenny KirklandKenny Kirkland · 1991, Bob Hurst, and Jeff 'Jeff "Tain" WattsJeff "Tain" WattsJeff "Tain" Wattsジェフ・テイン・ワッツ' Jeff "Tain" WattsJeff "Tain" WattsJeff "Tain" Wattsジェフ・テイン・ワッツ, July 1987.

— Branford Marsalis Quartet - North Sea Jazz Festival 1987, NN North Sea Jazz Festival archive, 1987

Videos featuring Branford Marsalis

Charnett MoffettCharnett MoffettCharnett Moffettシャーネット・モフェット was a precocious bassist who joined the Wynton MarsalisWynton MarsalisWynton Marsalisウィントン・マルサリス and Branford MarsalisBranford MarsalisBranford Marsalisブランフォード・マルサリス quintet at sixteen. Raised under the influence of his father Charles Moffett (known for his work with Ornette Coleman), he became a New York jazz fixture while still young.

— Charnett Moffett, expansive bassist who could challenge legends, dies at 54, NPR, 2022