Photography by Anthony Alden
Chene Park Detroit: The smooth Jazz of The three-time Grammy Award winner Branford Marsalis saxophonist, composer, and bandleader took center stage at Chene Park Detroit Wed June 2, 2018. He is considered among Jazz loyalist as "arguably the most respected living U.S. jazz instrumentalist".
Growing up in the rich environment of New Orleans as the oldest son of pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis, Branford was drawn to music along with siblings Wynton, Delfeayo, and Jason. Having gained initial acclaim through his work with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and his brother Wynton's quintet in the early 1980s, Branford Marsalis has performed and recorded with a whos-who of jazz giants including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins. He has also collaborated with such diverse artists as Sting, the Grateful Dead, and Bruce Hornsby.
Marsalis composes and performs with more than a little homage to earlier musicians who defined and refined jazz he could be considered their reincarnation. Overall you can hear echoes of Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane - among others - in Marsalis as well as his own playing style. Artistic inspiration, musical freshness and extraordinary mastery of improv would only begin to describe Marsalis musical genius.
