Duke Performances

Quite simply, three-time Grammy winner Branford Marsalis is among the most important jazz artists working today. A resident of Durham, the saxophonist cut his teeth with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and his brother Wynton’s quintet before forming his influential Branford Marsalis Quartet, which includes local pianist Joey Calderazzo (of Wake Forest, NC), bassist Eric Revis, and 20-year-old drumming prodigy Justin Faulkner. Assertive, precise, and expressive of a timeless yet daring sensibility, the rigor and historical depth of Marsalis’ music is unparalleled. In this home date, the superb Quartet stretches out for two nights of refreshed standards and classic originals, helmed by the most trustworthy arbiter of the state of the art.