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Legendary jazz greats Branford Marsalis and Kurt Elling collaborate for the first time on a full album, Upward Spiral. They ve been talking for a while about making a record together, and finally at the end of 2015 it all came together. They found time to play the new material in the New Orleans Snug Harbor club for four days and then recorded a variety of songs in the studio, all chosen because of their melodic richness and musical quality. Their versions of the chosen material are simply incredible, as the musicality of Branford and Kurt and their deep understanding of these songs shows through immediately. About Branford Marsalis: National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master, renowned Grammy Award®-winning saxophonist and Tony Award® nominated composer Branford Marsalis is one of the most revered instrumentalists of our time. Having gained initial accl through his work with Art Blakey s Jazz Messengers and his brother Wynton s quintet in the early 1980s, Branford has performed and recorded with a who s-who of jazz giants including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, ie Hancock and Sonny Rollins. He has also collaborated with such diverse artists as Sting, the Grateful Dead and Bruce Hornsby. His expansive interests are further reflected in his explorations in film, radio and television, including his role as the musical director of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. About Kurt Elling: Grammy® winner Kurt Elling is among the world s foremost jazz vocalists. He won the DownBeat Critics Poll for fourteen consecutive years and was named Male Singer of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association on eight occasions. An international jazz award winner, the New York Times declared, Elling is the standout male vocalist of our time. The Washington Post added, Since the mid-1990s no singer in jazz has been as daring, dynamic or interesting as Kurt Elling. He has come to embody the creative spirit in jazz. branfordmarsalis.com kurtelling.com okeh-records.com