Marietta College's Esbenshade Series closes out 2016-17 season with Branford Marsalis Quartet on April 23rd

Jazz quartet to be joined by vocalist Kurt Elling at Peoples Bank Theatre

Marietta, Ohio (04/11/2017) — The Branford Marsalis Quartet, along with guest vocalist Kurt Elling, will wrap up the 2016-17 Esbenshade Series at Marietta College on Sunday, April 23rd, at the Peoples Bank Theatre.

The concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are sold out.

Featuring Marsalis on saxophone, Joey Calderazzo on piano, Eric Revis on bass, and Justin Faulkner on drums, the Branford Marsalis Quartet will be joined by Elling. Although following the format of a standard jazz quartet with vocals, this collaboration between one of the most exciting jazz bands and foremost jazz singers is expected to be anything by standard.

After an intense week of performances and recording in New Orleans, this partnership has resulted in a new album, entitled Upward Spiral. Comprised of a blend of Songbook staples, jazz standards, and standards-to-be from a diverse array of composers, every track on Upward Spiral confirms the beyond-category strengths of both the Quartet and Elling.

The addition of Elling's deep jazz vocabulary, technical versatility, and outstanding intonation enables the tight-knit working band to perform a variety of material in new ways.

Energized by the artistic promise of this collaboration, the band members have all contributed new arrangements to perform with this special line-up.

All Esbenshade events have been funded by the Frederica G. Esbenshade Memorial Fund, which provides annual income for the purpose of bringing lectures, performing artists or programs of diverse nature to the campus for public appearances. The endowed fund was established in 1980 by Harry H. Esbenshade, Sr. and Harry H. Esbenshade, Jr., husband and son, respectively, of the late Mrs. Esbenshade of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. All events are free and open to the public.

Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy begun in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers 45 majors and has been listed among Barron's Best Buys in College Education and Peterson's Competitive Colleges, and has been recognized as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation's best by Forbes.com.

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