Artist: Branford Marsalis

The New Orleans native was born into one of the city's most distinguished musical families which includes brothers Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason, and the family patriarch, pianist/music educator Ellis Marsalis. In 1984, he released Scenes In the City, his first album for Columbia Jazz, beginning a very successful jazz career. He also made successful forays into the pop world with artists such as the Grateful Dead, Sting, and Bruce Hornsby.

Beyond his work as a recording artist, Branford has also joined the faculty of Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI, where he teaches in the school's jazz studies department. He has also begun working as a Creative Consultant with Columbia Records' Jazz Department, signing new talent and providing creative input into the development of several artists on the label. In that capacity, the first album he produced for the label was David Sanchez's Obsesión, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Performance. Other projects which he has produced include forthcoming albums by singer Frank McComb and pianist Joey Calderazzo.