In this edition of the MM newsletter, among other things, we are thrilled to announce the digital release of Miguel Zenon's new album "Esta Plena" and tell you how you can obtain a FREE SONG DOWNLOAD STARTING TODAY from "Esta Plena" at iTunes. We also share some information on the many great performances that Marsalis Music's artists have coming up in September, including Claudia Acuna's shows in Indianapolis and Chicago. In addition, we have released another video on our YouTube channel about the making of "Esta Plena," so we hope you will check that out too!

As always, we are delighted you have joined us and if you have friends or family who might enjoy our newsletter, please don't hesitate to share it.

"Esta Plena" Released Digitally; get your FREE SONG!

Esta Plena," the brand new album from Miguel Zenon, has been released digitally! You can find it on Apple iTunes and at Amazon.com. The physical product will be on the shelves October 20, 2009. To celebrate the release of this terrific album, Marsalis Music and Apple iTunes have partnered up to give you a FREE song download of the title track, "Esta Plena" STARTING TODAY! We think this is Miguel's best release to date, so we hope that you head over to iTunes and/or Amazon and download the 10 tracks right away!

Branford and Claudia at the Indy Jazz Fest

We are thrilled to announce that Branford Marsalis and his new quartet will be headlining the 2009 Indy Jazz Fest with a performance on Saturday, September 26th, 2009 at The Lawn in White River State Park. Other performers at this years festival, which runs from September 19th through September 27th, Marsalis Music's Claudia Acuna! Claudia will be performing at Indy's Jazz Kitchen on Wednesday, September 23rd. The showtimes are at 8 PM and 10 PM and tickets are $20. For more information, please visit the Indy Jazz Fest website.

Following the Indy performance by Claudia, she will be heading out to Chicago for a four night engagement at the Jazz Showcase starting September 24th through September 27th. Showtimes are at 8 PM and 10 PM each night. Please visit the

Jazz Showcase website for more information!

The NEW BMQ in Boston!

The NEW BMQ will be performing as part of the 2009 Beantown Jazz Festival at the Berklee Performance Center on Wednesday, September 23. This is the NEW Quartet's first time performing in Boston, so we are thrilled that we'll be able to get to hear them right down the street from us! Please visit the Berklee Box Office Website for more information on this performance and to order your tickets TODAY!

"Esta Plena" EPK Video

This month, we are featuring Miguel Zenon's "Esta Plena" EPK video on the Marsalis Music YouTube channel. This video provides some great insight into the making of Miguel's new album "Esta Plena." We would love to hear your thoughts on this EPK video and the other videos that we have posted over the past months, so if you have a chance, please rate the videos and leave your comments. The video was created by Adriana Teresa at FotoVisura, so please be sure visit their website too and check out Adriana's other work.

Claudia's on Facebook!

Claudia Acuna now has an official Facebook page! If you are a member of Facebook, then we hope that you will head over to Claudia's NEW page and become her fan. There you will find up to the minute news on Claudia plus tons of great pictures, music, and information on our wonderful vocalist. It's also a way for you to converse with the other Claudia Acuna fans out there. We thank you for the support!

Thank you for your interest in Marsalis Music.  If you have any thoughts or comments that you would like to share with us, we welcome your feedback.

Sincerely,

If you have not visited the NPR site since Newport a few weeks back, then we hope you will! NPR.org is streaming certain performances from the 2009 festival including Branford and Joey's duo performance. They also have Marsalis Music's Miguel Zenon's performance as well as Claudia Acuna's and NCCU's too. Visit this link to listen! We hope you'll enjoy it.

Welcome to the Marsalis Music Newsletter!  You may have noticed that we've been making a few changes, adding some new flair and now experimenting with the length of our articles.  We're always looking for new and better ways to get you the information you want and, of course, we welcome your feedback. 

This month, among other things, we look back at a unique father's day celebration, take note of an up-and-coming young musical talent, offer you some very special deals and bid a fond farewell to a friend and co-worker.  As always, we are delighted you have joined us and if you have friends or family who might enjoy our newsletter, please don't hesitate to share it.

Creating Some Buzzzzzz!

The newest member of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, Justin Faulkner, has been creating quite the buzz. Don't take our word for it though!  Check out the video on Marsalis Music's YouTube channel featuring Justin during BMQ's most recent engagement in New York at the Jazz Standard!

To find out when the next videos are posted join our channel or follow us on Twitter.

The Festival Formerly Known As Newport...

...or a rose by any other name...

No matter it's called, George Wein's festival in Newport, RI is one of the world's premier jazz festivals and this year (at what is being called Jazz Festival 55) is no exception!  The festival is a weekend extravaganza, but you'll want to be sure you're there on Saturday, August 8, 2009 for the Marsalis Music stage.  Hosted by Branford and featuring other Marsalis Music artists Claudia Acuana Joey Calderazzo and Miguel Zenon as well as a very special performance by the NCCU Big Band (and special guest), it will be well worth the price of admission!

FOR A LIMITED TIME, get a $20 discount on Fort Adams General Admission Tickets with this special discount code:  JULY4.  Offer expires on July 17th.  Limit of 4 tickets per promo code.

Giving It Away!

Jazz Festival 55 and the culture mavens at NPR and WBGO have teamed up with the technocrats at iTunes to offer a FREE 10-track sampler of select music from artists on the Festival's lineup, including our very own Claudia Acuna, the Branford Marsalis Quartet and Miguel Zenon.

Only a LIMITED number will be available beginning mid-July so follow us on Twitter to be sure you are notified as soon as they are!!

Miguel Zenon's New Release

"Esta Plena," the upcoming release from Marsalis Music artist Miguel Zenon explores the traditional plena music of his native Puerto Rico.  Plena, frequently heard during the Christmas holiday season gets a new twist from Miguel with a unique juxtaposition of the traditional folkloric sounds and the modern jazz approach of his esteemed ensemble.  Made possible with support from the Guggenheim Foundation look for this musical gift well before the holidays

Thank you, Bob!

Marsalis Music would like to thank our friend and colleague Bob Blumenthal for his many years of commitment and enthusiasm to the label as he moves on to pursue new projects. From our inception, Bob supported the label in our commitment to share some of the best and most interesting jazz music being made today with his ability to make jazz accessible through his incredible knowledge and writing. We will all miss Bob's stories about epic Sun Rah Arkestra encounters and the spirit he brings to every project with which he is involved. We wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

Thank you for your interest in Marsalis Music.  If you have any thoughts or comments that you would like to share with us, we welcome your feedback.

Sincerely,

Marsalis Music

This month provides an opportunity for fans of the Branford Marsalis Quartet who live outside of the United States to hear the group live, and for everyone to sample the band in a new recorded context.  Labelmates Claudia Acuna and Miguel Zenon and Honors Series subjects Bob French and Jimmy Cobb are on the road as well.  Thanks as always for joining us, and here’s hoping you will also be able to hear one or more of these great musicians in person.

In This Issue

Branford Marsalis Quartet Adds Stamps to Its Collective Passport

Ellis Marsalis to be Honored for Lifetime Achievement at Duke Ellington Jazz Festival

Marsalis Music Honors Series Artists are also on the Road

BMQ is a Key Component of NC Symphony’s American Spectrum

Musician Terence Conley Battles Back from Injury

Happy Trails to Down Beat Editor Jason Koransky

Branford Marsalis Quartet Adds Stamps to Its Collective Passport

The European tour of Branford Marsalis’ Quartet has already been a memorable one, with an itinerary to date that has stretched from Spain to Poland, and film documentation of the May 21 concert in Coutances, France.  Two more dates remain, in Vienna on Thursday and Moscow on Saturday.  It will be the BMQ’s first visit to Russia in nearly two decades, an event that was generated by the inquiry of at our friends@marsalismusic.com email address.  Thanks for putting this overdue debut in motion.

Both in Europe and at home, drummer Justin Faulkner has made a huge impression.  The Philadelphia native, who joined the band in March after Jeff “Tain” Watts left to pursue his own projects, has been drawing raves from a variety of commentators, who have referred to Faulkner as “full of changing combinations, all over the drum kit without letting the groove slacken or widen…[and] at the same time…listening, and attuned to sound” (Ben Ratliff, New York Times) and “not to overstate things, staggering” (Richard Scheinin, Mercury News).  Only 18 years old and a high school senior when he joined the Quartet, Justin Faulkner is a musician with a very bright future.

There are more BMQ dates on schedule after the European tour concludes, including a visit to Burlington, Vermont’s Discover Jazz Festival (6/12) and a swing through Canadian festivals that begins in Winnipeg (6/26) and concludes in Montreal (7/5). Other Marsalis Music artists are on the road as well: Miguel Zenon with Guillermo Klein’s band at the Village Vanguard (tomorrow through 6/7) and with his own quartet in New Haven (6/16) and at the start of a European tour in Salzau, Germany (7/5); and Claudia Acuna with the Ottawa Festival (7/3). 

Ellis Marsalis to be Honored for Lifetime Achievement at Duke Ellington Jazz Festival

Branford has another notable gig this month, as he joins brothers Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason as well as Harry Connick, Jr. and Billy Taylor in Washington, D.C. to honor father Ellis Marsalis.  A highlight of the 6/15 event will be Ellis’ receipt of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, given annually to an individual for serving as “a model representative for jazz” and for dedication to the music as art form, educational tool and unifying force.  In addition to Dr. Taylor, who was given the DEJF honor in 2006, Ellis joins a distinguished list of recipients including Dave Brubeck, Clark Terry, Hank Jones, Buck Hill and George Wein.

Our congratulations to Ellis Marsalis on this most deserving honor.  And those who do not have tickets to this already sold-out event can still enjoy the Marsalis Family Band on CD and DVD.

Marsalis Music Honors Series Artists are also on the Road

Marsalis Music Honors Series artist Bob French is also a part of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival.  On Saturday 6/13, French and his Original Tuxedo Jazz Band are featured in the first of two free “New Orleans on the National Mall” concerts that will survey the wide range of music identified with the Crescent City.  French also has his band appearing each Monday at his hometown’s newest music room, Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, as well as each Wednesday at Sidney’s Saloon.

Another of our Honors drummers, Jimmy Cobb, has a busy month of travel as well, with stops at Yoshi’s Oakland (6/10-12), the Playboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles (6/13), and a Canadian festival itinerary that takes him from Calgary (6/24) to Vancouver (7/6).

BMQ is a Key Component of NC Symphony’s American Spectrum

Branford’s Quartet is garnering strong reviews for two new recordings – it’s own (and our own) Metamorphosen, and the North Carolina Symphony’s American Spectrum, on the Swedish BIS label.  Grant Llewellyn conducts the collection of premier recordings, which features Branford, bassist Eric Revis and symphonic percussionist Richard Motylinski on vibes performing John Williams’ “Escapades,” as well as the entire BMQ on Ned Rorem’s “Lions (A Dream).”  Some of the positive response from the classical music world can be found online.

Musician Terence Conley Back from Injury

We were pleased to read in the May 17 New York Times of the ongoing recovery of Terence Conley.  The pianist, a former member of the Count Basie Orchestra, sustained serious head injuries in a September traffic accident that initially left his very survival in doubt; yet in April he was back at the keyboard, playing “Ruby, My Dear” at the headquarters of the Jazz Foundation of America, which has performed its usual yeoman service is assisting Conley and his wife Judith with expenses related to the accident.  In attendance for that performance was Branford Marsalis, whose friendship with both Conleys goes back to the time when all three were attending Berklee College of Music. 

Thank you for your interest in Marsalis Music. If you have any thoughts or comments you would like to share with us, we welcome your feedback.

Sincerely,

Marsalis Music