Forty years have passed since Branford Marsalis conquered the limelight as one of the young lions of jazz. Born in New Orleans and descended from a true musical dynasty, son and brother of jazzmen, Branford was able to play early in his career with Clark Terry, Art Blakey and his brother Wynton. He later collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Harry Connick Jr., and Kurt Elling. A curious and multifaceted talent, he has often gone beyond the borders of jazz to cross over into classical music and the rock universe (see his extraordinary partnership with Sting and with the Grateful Dead), managing in any case to maintain absolute artistic integrity and consistency. The quartet remains the privileged instrument through which Branford Marsalis can express his creativity and his idea of music at the highest levels. The quartet, formed in 1986, has remained almost continuously active and stable in the lineup, producing a series of extraordinary records during this period. The quartet has long been, with increasing strength, one of the most important acronyms of contemporary jazz, thanks also to its continuous evolution, a profound collective identity and the search for ever wider musical horizons.
