Branford Marsalis Quartet
Apr 8th, 2026
At 7:30 p.m.

Where:
Wachholz College Center - McClaren Hall
795 Grandview Dr Kalispell, MT

Description:
WCC is excited to welcome the Branford Marsalis Quartet back to the Flathead Valley!



Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is one of the most influential and revered figures in contemporary music. The NEA Jazz Master, Grammy Award winner, and Tony and EMMY Award nominee is equally at home performing concertos with symphony orchestras and sitting in with members of the Grateful Dead, but the core of his musical universe remains the Branford Marsalis Quartet. After more than three decades of existence with minimal personnel changes, this celebrated ensemble is revered for its uncompromising interpretation of a kaleidoscopic range of both original compositions and jazz and popular classics.



After receiving Grammy nominations on its last two albums, Upward Spiral and The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, the Quartet made it's Blue Note Records debut with the release of Belonging, a full album interpretation of Keith Jarrett's 1974 ECM album of the same name. The New York Times commented, “Marsalis has tackled imposing jazz masterworks before...but at its best, his 'Belonging' goes deeper... it's a performance that both honors and amplifies.” John Zeugner captured the impact of the Quartet in a review of a live performance, calling it “casually confident, professional, cerebral, and supercharged with energy. The Branford Marsalis Quartet…was all of those adjectives and more.”