The Branford Marsalis Quartet will perform Sunday, January 19th as part of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts and Queen College’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration. The event is also a special WBGO Members event in Flushing.
For more than a decade, KCA and Queens College have held a special annual event in honor and memory of Dr. King’s legacy and his connection to Queens College, where he delivered a powerful speech from the stage of Colden Auditorium in 1965.
This special program includes a recognition ceremony and keynote address at 3 PM by the event’s honoree, Arva Rice, President and CEO of the New York Urban League, followed by the Branford Marsalis Quartet concert at 4 PM. This recognition event is co-sponsored by the Office of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr.
Branford Marsalis spoke to WBGO's Doug Doyle about the upcoming concert. Marsalis reflected on what MLK Jr.'s legacy means to him.
"It's mostly hindsight because I essentially integrated my elementary school in 1967. When you're a seven-year-old, you're not thinking about that. But when I look back on it, that entire movement with the NCAACP, SNCC and Dr. King, it really did spearhead significant social change."
The Branford Marsalis Quartet is Branford on saxophones, Joey Calderazzo on piano, Eric Revis on bass and Justin Faulkner on drums. What can the audience expect from them on January 19 at KCA?
"Fun. We have a good time when we play. I always felt even as a young person when I didn't know how to do it that the challenge of playing music is to make complicated things sound simple. I grew up in an era where we taking simple things and trying to make them as complicated as possible. That always seemed counterintuitive to me. It took us a while to learn how to do it, but that's something that we do. Audiences don't have to understand harmonic sequence or any of that. They can just feel the groove and understand the emotion of the song if we do it the right and everybody should have a good time."
Marsalis is an extremely busy performer. He's currently serving as the orchestra and arrangement director for the Broadway show A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical.
"Musicals are entertainment vehicles. I think it's very entertaining. Is it a Louis Armstrong autobiography? No, it's an entertainment show. I think they do a good job of telling a version of the story."
The NEA Jazz Master has also received a Tony nomination for his work on Broadway, and composed for film and television, earning a 2021 Primetime Emmy nomination.
Branford's artistic and humanitarian efforts extend to rebuilding New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina through initiatives like the Musicians’ Village and his recent appointment as Artistic Director of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music.
Branford doesn't really like to think about his or his family's legacy.
"You have this limited amount of time here and you try to do the best that you can time in the time that you have. It's really the only thing you can control. I can't control how I'm perceived by others even though people go out of their way desperately trying to do that and social media can make that a lot worse. You worry about carefully cultivating your image and all this stuff that I personally find to be nonsensical. I'm just trying to get better as a musician, family man and friend. Those are the things that are important to me."
The exclusive WBGO member specially-priced package includes VIP seating and a festive post-performance reception. Tickets are limited. To secure your seat call 973-624-8880 extension 232, Monday through Friday 9am-5pm or email jpoteet@wbgo.org.
