Branford Marsalis performing with Dee Dee Bridgewater and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra in NYC
Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Saxophonist Branford Marsalis headlined the 7th Annual Port-au-Prince International Jazz Festival in Haiti this weekend. This was his second attempt at performing in the Caribbean nation, having cancelled plans two years ago because of several days of rioting and protests over a contested election.
The legendary musician performed in the coastal town of Jacmel on Friday night and at a former sugarcane plantation in Port-au-Prince on Saturday night. Marsalis is also scheduled to perform a private show on Tuesday evening at the residence of U.S. Ambassador Pamela White.
“It’s really cool to be here,” Marsalis, 52, said by telephone from an oceanfront hotel in Jacmel. “The people are beautiful to me.”
The festival, which has invited two dozen musicians from around the globe, is attempting to attract outside investors as a means of boosting the country’s economy. It is also using the event as a way to improve understanding between Haitian and American cultures and encourage tourism. The festival runs through Friday, January 26.
Peeped this story over at The Grio
