In a rare, two-night event, non-profit Jazz St. Louis to host the world-renowned brothers and present lifetime achievement award to fellow jazz icon David Sanborn
ST. LOUIS (January 19, 2024) – Non-profit Jazz St. Louis will welcome jazz superstars Branford and Wynton Marsalis next month for its Swing for Tomorrow's Stars Gala, a two-night fundraiser to support the organization’s portfolio of community engagement and jazz education programs. For nearly three decades, Jazz St. Louis has been the foremost jazz presenter in St. Louis and throughout the region.
The event features a rare joint appearance by the Grammy Award-winning brothers as they come together as co-headliners in support of jazz education in St. Louis.
To add to the impressive lineup, fellow Grammy Award-winning saxophonist and St. Louis native, David Sanborn, will receive the organization’s inaugural Steward Center Lifetime Achievement Award in Excellence.
Branford and Wynton will perform both nights with the first show happening Feb. 21, 2024, at the Steward Center, the home of Jazz St. Louis in Grand Center.
The second evening will take place Feb. 22, 2024, in the Khorassan Ballroom at The Chase Park Plaza. The second performance is in this large venue to make the iconic event accessible to all members of the St. Louis community and invite all to support Jazz St. Louis’s goal of making jazz accessible and inclusive.
The Feb. 22nd evening has an affordable price point for a performance of this magnitude, with tickets starting at $50. Sanborn will also be presented with his lifetime achievement award at this performance.
The Marsalis brothers were invited by Jazz St. Louis President and CEO, Victor Goines, a friend of Branford and Wynton since childhood in their native New Orleans. A renowned jazz saxophonist and clarinetist and former director of the jazz program at Juilliard, Goines joined Jazz St. Louis in 2022.
“Learning music builds character and leadership skills,” Goines said. “Not everyone will become a professional musician but everyone can learn something from being part of an ensemble. Our mission at Jazz St. Louis is to ensure as many people as possible have access to the benefits of learning about and experiencing the great art form. Our educational programs are available at no cost to participants so funding is essential. Branford and Wynton are known for their mentorship and devotion to shaping the future of jazz, so there is no better duo to headline this important event.”
Jazz St. Louis’s educational programs include clinics, field trips and masterclasses for young people from elementary school through college. The organization also hosts an Artist Residency Program that brings professional jazz artists and educators to St. Louis for a week.
Tickets are now available for the second performance, happening Feb. 22, at The Chase Park Plaza. The first evening, Feb. 21, is sold out.
Tickets can be purchased online, by phone or in person. To buy online or to see box office hours, visit jazzstl.org/stars.
To learn more about Jazz St. Louis, visit jazzstl.org.
ENDS
Media Contact:
Haley Raymond
Leigh Walters Communications
(207) 227-7850
HaleyR@lwc-stl.com
Haley Raymond
Leigh Walters Communications
(207) 227-7850
HaleyR@lwc-stl.com
About Jazz St. Louis
Jazz St. Louis is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to lead our community in advancing the uniquely American art of jazz through performance, education, and community engagement.
Each year, Jazz St. Louis presents over 270 performances in its internationally acclaimed concert series. The non-profit organization takes a three-pronged approach to its work: presenting jazz, encouraging and educating future audiences, and nurturing budding musicians.
Jazz St. Louis Education programs cultivate leadership and cultural appreciation in the next generation of musicians and listeners through training, educational resources, and transformative engagement with local and touring professional musicians. Jazz St. Louis has an extensive portfolio of education programs aimed at elementary through college students in the greater St. Louis area and beyond. The organization provides field trip experiences, hands-on training programs, in-school clinics and masterclasses, and curricular resources for teachers, all at no cost to participants.
For more information about Jazz St. Louis, visit jazzstl.org.
Jazz St. Louis is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to lead our community in advancing the uniquely American art of jazz through performance, education, and community engagement.
Each year, Jazz St. Louis presents over 270 performances in its internationally acclaimed concert series. The non-profit organization takes a three-pronged approach to its work: presenting jazz, encouraging and educating future audiences, and nurturing budding musicians.
Jazz St. Louis Education programs cultivate leadership and cultural appreciation in the next generation of musicians and listeners through training, educational resources, and transformative engagement with local and touring professional musicians. Jazz St. Louis has an extensive portfolio of education programs aimed at elementary through college students in the greater St. Louis area and beyond. The organization provides field trip experiences, hands-on training programs, in-school clinics and masterclasses, and curricular resources for teachers, all at no cost to participants.
For more information about Jazz St. Louis, visit jazzstl.org.
About Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis is an award-winning saxophonist, band leader, featured classical soloist, and a film and Broadway composer. In the process, he has become a multi award-winning artist with three Grammys, a citation by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master and an avatar of contemporary artistic excellence. The Branford Marsalis Quartet, formed in 1986 remains his primary means of expression. In its virtually uninterrupted three-plus decades of existence, the Quartet has established a rare breadth of stylistic range. But Branford has not confined his music to the jazz quartet context. A frequent soloist with classical ensembles, Branford has become increasingly sought after as a featured soloist with acclaimed orchestras around the world. His work on Broadway has garnered a Drama Desk Award and Tony Award nominations for the acclaimed revivals of Children of a Lesser God, Fences, and A Raisin in the Sun. As a composer for film and television, his screen credits include original music composed for: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks starring Oprah Winfrey, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, Rustin starring Colman Domingo, and Emmy Award nominated Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre.
Learn more.
Branford Marsalis is an award-winning saxophonist, band leader, featured classical soloist, and a film and Broadway composer. In the process, he has become a multi award-winning artist with three Grammys, a citation by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master and an avatar of contemporary artistic excellence. The Branford Marsalis Quartet, formed in 1986 remains his primary means of expression. In its virtually uninterrupted three-plus decades of existence, the Quartet has established a rare breadth of stylistic range. But Branford has not confined his music to the jazz quartet context. A frequent soloist with classical ensembles, Branford has become increasingly sought after as a featured soloist with acclaimed orchestras around the world. His work on Broadway has garnered a Drama Desk Award and Tony Award nominations for the acclaimed revivals of Children of a Lesser God, Fences, and A Raisin in the Sun. As a composer for film and television, his screen credits include original music composed for: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks starring Oprah Winfrey, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, Rustin starring Colman Domingo, and Emmy Award nominated Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre.
Learn more.
About Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis is a world-renowned trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and a leading advocate of American culture. In 1979, Marsalis moved to New York to study classical music at The Juilliard School. Shortly after his arrival, Wynton began touring with the legendary Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers alongside his brother Branford– marking the launch of his jazz career. Marsalis has rekindled widespread international interest in jazz through performances, educational initiatives, books, curricula, and public advocacy in the four decades since. Marsalis has released 127 jazz, classical and alternative recordings, composing hundreds of original pieces. He has performed in 858 cities and 65 countries across the globe to date. Marsalis is the recipient of 41 honorary degrees and has been appointed a UN Messenger of Peace (2001) and a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur (2009). Marsalis is a recipient of both The National Medal of Arts (2005) and The National Humanities Medal (2016)‒ the highest US government honors for the arts, as well as the Praemium Imperiale Award for Music presented by the Japan Art Association (2023). He serves as Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Musical Director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School, and President of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.
Learn more.
Wynton Marsalis is a world-renowned trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and a leading advocate of American culture. In 1979, Marsalis moved to New York to study classical music at The Juilliard School. Shortly after his arrival, Wynton began touring with the legendary Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers alongside his brother Branford– marking the launch of his jazz career. Marsalis has rekindled widespread international interest in jazz through performances, educational initiatives, books, curricula, and public advocacy in the four decades since. Marsalis has released 127 jazz, classical and alternative recordings, composing hundreds of original pieces. He has performed in 858 cities and 65 countries across the globe to date. Marsalis is the recipient of 41 honorary degrees and has been appointed a UN Messenger of Peace (2001) and a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur (2009). Marsalis is a recipient of both The National Medal of Arts (2005) and The National Humanities Medal (2016)‒ the highest US government honors for the arts, as well as the Praemium Imperiale Award for Music presented by the Japan Art Association (2023). He serves as Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Musical Director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School, and President of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.
Learn more.
About David Sanborn
David Sanborn has released 25 albums, won six Grammy Awards, and has had eight Gold albums and one Platinum. Having inspired countless other musicians, Dave has worked in many genres which typically blend instrumental pop, R&B and traditional jazz. He has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school when he was inspired by the great Chicago blues artists near his hometown of St. Louis. He backed legends like Albert King, Little Milton and Gil Evans, then joined the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in 1967, later playing with them at Woodstock. For decades he worked with music’s biggest names, from Miles Davis and James Brown to the Eagles and the Rolling Stones. Dave’s solo release of Taking Off in 1975—still considered a classic—further solidified his career. His 1979 release of Hideaway became a popular hit and further propelled Dave’s ascent with the single, “Seduction” being featured in the movie, American Gigolo. Later albums have included guest artists such as Luther Vandross, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Frisell, Charlie Hayden, Wallace Roney, Kenny Barron, Christian McBride, and Eric Clapton. Sanborn continues to be one of the most highly active musicians of his genre.
Learn more.
David Sanborn has released 25 albums, won six Grammy Awards, and has had eight Gold albums and one Platinum. Having inspired countless other musicians, Dave has worked in many genres which typically blend instrumental pop, R&B and traditional jazz. He has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school when he was inspired by the great Chicago blues artists near his hometown of St. Louis. He backed legends like Albert King, Little Milton and Gil Evans, then joined the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in 1967, later playing with them at Woodstock. For decades he worked with music’s biggest names, from Miles Davis and James Brown to the Eagles and the Rolling Stones. Dave’s solo release of Taking Off in 1975—still considered a classic—further solidified his career. His 1979 release of Hideaway became a popular hit and further propelled Dave’s ascent with the single, “Seduction” being featured in the movie, American Gigolo. Later albums have included guest artists such as Luther Vandross, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Frisell, Charlie Hayden, Wallace Roney, Kenny Barron, Christian McBride, and Eric Clapton. Sanborn continues to be one of the most highly active musicians of his genre.
Learn more.
