Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra
with Branford Marsalis
Saturday, February 1 at 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts at George Mason University
Jim Carroll, artistic director
GRAMMY Award-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis joins the
Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra in this special concert. An
exceptionally versatile musician, Marsalis is a band leader,
featured classical soloist, and composer, winning three GRAMMY
Awards, Tony, and Drama Desk Award nominations for his work as
a composer on Broadway, a citation by the National Endowment
for the Arts as a Jazz Master, and a Primetime Emmy nomination
for best original score. Marsalis formed his own quartet in
1986, and after more than three decades of existence with
minimal personnel changes the Branford Marsalis Quartet is
revered for its kaleidoscopic range of both original
compositions and jazz and popular classics. A frequently
featured classical soloist, Marsalis has performed with
acclaimed orchestras around the world and his legendary
performances with the Grateful Dead and collaborations with
Sting have made him a fan favorite in the pop arena. As a
composer, Marsalis has scored films including Spike Lee’s Mo’
Better Blues, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,
starring Oprah Winfrey, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, and the recent
Netflix film Rustin starring Colman Domingo. The
Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra is made up of the D.C.-area’s
finest musicians and is led by Founder, Artistic Director, and
virtuoso alto saxophonist Jim Carroll. This performance will
also feature vocalist Darden Purcell, George Mason
University’s jazz program director.
This performance is appropriate for all ages.
Tickets: $60, $51, $36; half-price for youth through Grade 12