ST. LOUIS – Jazz superstars Branford and Wynton Marsalis performed to two packed houses for a rare, two-night gala to raise money for Jazz St. Louis’s education and community engagement programs.
The Marsalis brothers headlined Jazz St. Louis’s Swing for Tomorrow’s Stars Gala Feb. 21 and 22. The first evening took place at the Steward Center, the home of Jazz St. Louis in Grand Center. The second evening happened in the Khorassan Ballroom at The Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza, a larger venue to allow as many as possible to attend the performance.
Jazz St. Louis has been the foremost jazz presenter in St. Louis and the wider region for more than three decades, and also runs a robust portfolio of education and community programs.
The two-night event raised more than $600,000 to support the future of those programs and allow the nonprofit to continue to offer its education initiatives at no cost to participants.
In addition to having Branford and Wynton Marsalis headline, the event was a celebration of jazz and its connections to St. Louis. On Feb. 22, the organization presented Grammy Award-winner and St. Louis native David Sanborn with the organization’s inaugural Steward Center Lifetime Achievement Award in Excellence.
Actor, comedian, and fellow St. Louis native Joe Torry also served as the Master of Ceremonies.
Jazz St. Louis CEO Victor Goines said the event surpassed even his own expectations.
“It was an honor to bring a performance of this stature to St. Louis, especially for two nights in a row,” Goines said. “To have Branford and Wynton perform for us in two different venues, to recognize David Sanborn with our first lifetime achievement award, and to have Joe Torry serve as a fantastic MC, this event will be hard to top! Most importantly, we raised crucial funds to support our educational programs which are at the heart of Jazz St. Louis, so I am immensely proud of what we achieved. I would like to thank Branford and Wynton Marsalis for dedicating two nights to our organization, and to the wider team at Jazz St. Louis, our supporters, our sponsors, and all of the attendees who helped make this historic event so special.”
Wynton Marsalis said, “Branford and I always love playing in St. Louis so we thank Victor and the Jazz St. Louis team for inviting us. Ensuring the future of jazz and jazz education has been a mission for me and my brother and we hope our taking part in this event illustrates just how important the art of jazz and music education are to local communities.”
Jazz St. Louis’s Swing for Tomorrow’s Stars Gala was presented by the Steward Family Foundation and World Wide Technology. Lead sponsorship was provided by Jazz at Lincoln Center, John and Allison Ferring, and Richard and Josephine Weil.
To learn more about Jazz St. Louis, visit jazzstl.org.
Photo Captions:
DSC00387: Jazz superstars Branford and Wynton Marsalis headlined Jazz St. Louis’s Swing for Tomorrow’s Stars Gala Feb. 21 and 22. The first evening took place at the Steward Center,the home of Jazz St. Louis in Grand Center. From left: Robert Steward, CEO of End2End Solution; New York City Mayor Eric Adams; Wynton Marsalis; Branford Marsalis; David Steward, chairman and founder of Worldwide Technology; Victor Goines, CEO of Jazz St. Louis. Photo courtesy of Brad Beenders.
DSC00487: Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis, Inc., presents the Greater St. Louis Business Award to New York City Mayor Eric Adams at Jazz St. Louis’s Swing for Tomorrow’s Stars Gala at the Steward Center, the home of Jazz St. Louis, Feb. 21.
DSC00519: Victor Goines, CEO of Jazz St. Louis; New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Actor and Comedian Joe Torry; Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis, Inc. at Jazz St. Louis’s Swing for Tomorrow’s Stars Gala at the Steward Center, the home of Jazz St. Louis, Feb. 21.Photo courtesy of Brad Beenders. Photo courtesy of Brad Beenders.
DSC00568: Wynton Marsalis, Victor Goines, Carlos Henriquez, Branford Marsalis, Obed Calviare and Dan Nimmer (not pictured) perform at the Steward Center, the home of Jazz St. Louis, Feb. 21, 2024. This is the first of two performances headlined by Branford and Wynton Marsalis for Jazz St. Louis’ Swing for Tomorrow’s Stars Gala, to support jazz education programs. Photo courtesy of Brad Beenders.
DSC00623: Branford and Wynton Marsalis with Jazz St. Louis students at the Swing for Tomorrow’s Stars Gala at the Steward Center Feb. 21. From left: Wynton Marsalis, Jonathan Novelli, Scotty Russell, Joseph Hicks, Aditya Jain, Branford Marsalis. Photo courtesy of Brad Beenders.
DSC01054: Victor Goines, CEO of Jazz St. Louis, with Nancy and Ken Kranzberg at the Swing for Tomorrow’s Stars Gala at the Steward Center, the home of Jazz St. Louis, Feb. 21. Photo courtesy of Brad Beenders.
DSC0110: The Steward Center, home of Jazz St. Louis, honored jazz superstar David Sanborn with the Steward Center Lifetime Achievement Award in Excellence Thursday, Feb. 22, at the organization’s Swing for Tomorrow's Stars Gala at The Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis.From left: Victor Goines, CEO of Jazz St. Louis; David Sanborn; Actor and Comedian Joe Torry. Photo courtesy of Brad Beenders.
DSC011222: St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones proclaims February 22, 2024 as David Sanborn Day at Jazz St. Louis’ Swing for Tomorrow's Stars Gala at The Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis.From left: Victor Goines, CEO of Jazz St. Louis; St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones; jazz superstar David Sanborn; Actor and Comedian Joe Torry. Photo courtesy of Brad Beenders.
DSC01231: St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones proclaims February 22, 2024 as Wynton Marsalis Day and Branford Marsalis Day at Jazz St. Louis’ Swing for Tomorrow's Stars Gala at The Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis.From left: Victor Goines, CEO of Jazz St. Louis; Wynton Marsalis; St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones; Branford Marsalis; Actor and Comedian Joe Torry. Photo courtesy of Brad Beenders.
CSD00530-2: Dan Nimmer (piano), Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), Victor Goines (clarinet), Branford Marsalis (saxophone), Carlos Henriquez (bass) and Obed Calviare (drums) perform at the Steward Center, the home of Jazz St. Louis, Feb. 21, 2024. This is the first of two performances headlined by Branford and Wynton Marsalis for Jazz St. Louis’ Swing for Tomorrow’s Stars Gala, to support jazz education programs. Photo courtesy of Brad Beenders.
DSC01277: Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis and Victor Goines lead the St. Boogie Brass Band out of the room in a second line procession to close out the evening at Jazz St. Louis’ Swingfor Tomorrow's Stars Gala at The Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis, Feb. 22, 2024.Photo courtesy of Brad Beenders.
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Leigh Walters Communications
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
