10/28 Branford Marsalis

I can't imagine what the Marsalis household must have been like back when the kids were younger in their New Orleans home. Branford is a world-renowned saxophonist, and the family is full of distinguished musicians including his brother Wynton Marsalis, his other brothers Delfeayo and Jason, and their father, Ellis. It must have been pretty loud - entertaining, but probably loud.

Branford performed with his group, "Marsalis Brasilianos," featuring members of the Philarmonia Brasileira, at the Jorgensen Center for Performing Arts Tuesday night on campus. The show featured a variety of both instrumentation and styles of music, and it was an experience in itself. The musicians were incredibly talented, and they were able to showcase that.

Branford was the main soloist, and most likely the main reason why most of the audience attended the show, but while he had some incredible solos, he didn't outshine the rest of the musicians, which was nice. The first piece was played by only a small orchestra, and Branford came out afterward with a few other musicians for the next one. The charts went from exciting and invigorating to calming to jazzy. At any given point, it could have felt like being at a classical concert, riding on the train in the city, traveling through New Orlean's jazz district, taking a trip to the Carribbean, or relaxing at the end of the day.

Branford performed "Scaramouche for Saxophone (alto) and Piano Op. 165 c," composed by Darius Mihaud, and this, especially, showed his talent. He effortlessly nailed several sixteenth-note runs and varied it with both rhythmic beats and even speedier runs. The piece had three very different-feeling movements, and Branford's talent just shined through in every one of them -- actually, it did in the entire show.