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| Branford Pays Tribute To Heitor Villa-Lobos Saxophonist Branford Marsalis will be joined onstage by conductor Gil Jardim and Philarmonia Brasileira for a special performance, featuring the work of Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, as well as French composer Darius Milhaud. The performance will take place on Friday, October 3, at 8 p.m. and tickets are still available. A giant of jazz who, in recent years, rededicated himself to exploring and performing classical music, Branford Marsalis is known for his unique interpretations and versatility as a performer of many genres. For two decades, Marsalis recorded with Columbia Records and produced the Grammy Award–winning albums, I Heard You Twice the First Time (1993) and Contemporary Jazz (2001). In 2002, he founded his own label, Marsalis Music, which has since released eight CDs and two DVDs. All four of the label's CDs released under Marsalis' name — Footsteps of Our Fathers, Romare Bearden Revealed, Braggtown and Eternal — have made numerous best-of-year lists, with Eternal receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Recording by a small ensemble. He has had numerous orchestral engagements in a host of American and European cities, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle and Dusseldorf. Marsalis has composed and been featured as a soloist in several film scores, including Mo'Better Blues, Malcolm X and The Russia House. He has collaborated with the Branford Marsalis Quartet, one of the jazz world's premier ensembles, and with pop artists, including The Grateful Dead, Sting and Bruce Hornsby. Marsalis also has production credits for artists, including Frank McComb, David Sanchez, Doug Wamble, David S. Ware and Miguel Zenon. Currently, the Branford Marsalis quartet serves as Artists in Residence at North Carolina Central University; Marsalis' previous associations include Michigan State University and San Francisco State University. He also founded Marsalis Jams, a program that presents concerts and jam sessions with young musicians in colleges and high schools throughout the United States. Gil Jardim A strong advocate for Brazilian music, particularly that of Heitor Villa-Lobos, Gil Jardim and Philarmonia Brasileira have released multiple recordings of the famed Brazilian composer's music. Jardim also published the book The Anthropophagic Style of Heitor Villa-Lobos. As a conductor, Jardim has appeared with the top Brazilian orchestras, as well as the Brooklyn Orchestra in New York, Royal Philharmonic in London and the Camerata Mexicana in Mexico, among others. He directed the opening concert of Sala Sao Paulo, the home of Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo, the closing event of the First International Festival of Popular Brazilian Music, and Frank Zappa and Edgar Varese in concert. In 1995, Jardim founded Philarmonia Brasileira to explore the tradition of fusing folk and classical music in Brazil. In 2005, they released the album Villa-Lobos in Paris, a reconstruction of the composer's first concert in the French capital in 1924. The album was awarded the Diapason d'Or and was nominated for the second Bravo Culture Award. Since 1984, Jardim has served on the faculty of the University of Sao Paulo where he teaches conducting and serves as the head of the music department. Philarmonia Brasileira Established in 1994 under the artistic direction of Gil Jardim, Philarmonia Brasileira has quickly gained notoriety through its participation in Brazilian cultural events and its involvement in the celebration and preservation of the work of Villa-Lobos. Recently, Philarmonia Brasileira performed a concert and released Villa-Lobos in Paris, a CD that accurately reconstructed the first concert Villa-Lobos held in Paris in 1924. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |