Jazz Greats Sonny Rollins, Joshua Redman & Branford Marsalis Take Center Stage as the Kimmel Center’s "Year of Incredible Sax" Continues
October 1, 2004
Branford Marsalis and Joshua Redman
Born Theodore Rollins to a musical New York family, Sonny gravitated to the tenor saxophone in high school. After attracting attention from musician Bud Powell, with whom he first recorded in 1949, Rollins attracted the attention of jazz legend Thelonious Monk, who took Rollins under his wing and nurtured his talent. Rollins also recorded with Miles Davis and often drew comparisons to Charlie Parker. Through the years, Rollins explored many artistic and spiritual avenues, all resulting in recordings that exhibited a richer and more textured sound, a growing complexity in his musical range, and an expanded artistic outreach. During Rollins’ Kimmel Center performance, he will be joined by Clifton Anderson on trombone, electric bass guitarist Bob Cranshaw, percussionist Kimati Dinizulu and Steve Jordan on drums.
The son of the great tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman, Joshua graduated from Harvard and (after debating whether to become a doctor) he seemed headed toward studying law at Yale. However, in 1991 Redman came in first place at the Thelonious Monk competition and soon landed a recording contract with Warner Bros., followed by appearances on the covers of numerous jazz magazines. In 1996, Joshua Redman recorded and briefly toured with Chick Corea's "Tribute to Bud Powell" sextet; the solo Timeless Tales (For Changing Times) followed in 1998, and in 2000 he returned with Beyond. Passage of Time appeared in early 2001, and was followed by a lengthy tour of the U.S. In 2002, Redman released Elastic, which featured music that was more adventurous and playful than in the past.
World-renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis has always been a man of numerous musical interests. The 43-year-old Grammy Award-winning musician has continued to exercise and expand his skills as a performer, a composer and, as the head of his Marsalis Music label, a producer for both his own projects and those of the jazz world’s most promising new artists. The New Orleans native was born into one of the city's most distinguished musical families, which includes patriarch/pianist/educator Ellis Marsalis and three of his five brothers, trumpeter Wynton, trombonist Delfeayo and drummer Jason Marsalis. Branford Marsalis’ latest work is Eternal. Released this month, the album is a collection of original and classic ballads that realizes Branford's goal of "aiming for what Billie Holiday could do, which was to get to the emotions of each song."
Tickets for the October 22 performance by Sonny Rollins are $35, $50, $65, & $78. Tickets for An Evening with Joshua Redman and Branford Marsalis on November 3 are $40, $48, $58, $63 & $70. Tickets for both concerts can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets will be available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. $10 tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning at 5:30 pm for evening performances and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one per person.
The 2004-2005 Kimmel Center Presents Mellon Jazz series is generously supported by Mellon Financial Corporation.
Sponsors of the 2004-2005 Kimmel Center Presents season include Mellon Financial Corporation, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Bank of America, Sovereign Bank, Wachovia Foundation, The American Express Company, Verizon Foundation, Bucks County Coffee and SEPTA, the Commuter's Choice. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Jazz and World Pop programming.
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