SU’s Pulse to present jazz great Branford Marsalis on Sept. 7

Friday, July 23, 2004, By News Staff

SU’s Pulse to present jazz great Branford Marsalis on Sept. 7July 23, 2004Amy Schmitzaemehrin@syr.edu

Legendary and charismatic saxophonist Branford Marsalis will perform in Syracuse University’s Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center, on Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. The concert is sponsored by Pulse, which provides SU undergraduates with opportunities to attend and participate in programs, performances, exhibitions and events in the performing arts. Tickets are $8 for SU students with I.D., $10 for SU faculty and staff, and $20 for the general public.

A New Orleans native, Marsalis released his first album in 1984 at the age of 24. He won his first Grammy in 1993 for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group, for his album “I Heard You Twice the First Time.” Since then, he has gone on to win two more Grammys, the latest for his 2000 album “Contemporary Jazz.” In all, he has recorded 14 jazz albums and two classical albums.

“We are fortunate and proud to have one of the young legends of jazz visit SU,” says Barry L. Wells, senior vice president and dean of student affairs. “On today’s music scene, very few artists have his range and depth. He is a man of many musical talents, and indeed one of the most influential voices in the history of jazz.”

Well known for his tenure as music director with “The Tonight Show” band, Marsalis recently launched his own record label, Marsalis Music, which released “Romare Bearden Revealed” in 2003. The CD is influenced by and a celebration of painter Bearden and several other Harlem Renaissance artists. A combination of New Orleans jazz, blues, swing and stride piano, Marsalis’ CD features his father, Ellis Marsalis; his brothers, Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis; and guest artists Doug Wamble and Harry Connick Jr.

Marsalis studied at Southern University and at the Berklee of School of Music. Early in his career, he toured with Art Blakely Jazz Messengers and with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. He is now on tour through 2005 to promote “Romare Beardon Revealed.”

SU’s Pulse was developed nearly 10 years ago as a joint project between the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Division of Student Affairs to influence student culture in positive ways, positioning the arts more prominently as part of the regular student experience

Tickets for the Marsalis performance can be purchased by calling the Schine Box Office at (315) 443-4517.