Branford marsalis biography of william hill

Saxophonist, bandleader

Eclectic Musical Influences

Trained Under Brother’s Wing

Broadened Horizons

Selected discography

Sources

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis, hailed as one of the best jazz players of his generation, helped orchestrate a renaissance of the genre in the early 1980s, rescuing the music from stagnancy, corruption, and, in the eyes of some critics, flat-out mediocrity.

Before coming into his own as a bandleader and composer, Marsalis played second fiddle to some of the greats in the industry, including younger brother celebrity trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.

As one of the most versatile players in the business, Marsalis has lent his horn to music as far afield as traditional bebop and rock and roll.

Some critics have lamented Marsalis’s musical wanderings, claiming that the talented saxman is spreading himself too thin. But Marsalis, taking mischievous glee in enraging these naysayers, has always eschewed the self-seriousness tha