Branford Marsalis, Kurt Elling to perform January 24 & 25 at Jazz at the Bistro

In an addition to the previously announced 2016-17 schedule for Jazz at the Bistro, Jazz St. Louis has announced that saxophonist Branford Marsalis and his quartet will be joining forces with singer Kurt Elling and returning to St. Louis for performances at the Bistro on Tuesday, January 24 and Wednesday, January 25, 2017.

Elling and Marsalis (pictured) recently collaborated on the album Upward Spiral, which was released in June on the Marsalis Music label via OKeh Records.

The recording features a mix of standards, off-the-beaten-path covers and originals, and generally has been well-received by fans and by critics such as AllAboutJazz.com's Dan Bilewsky, who praised it as being "suffused with graciousness, beauty, and, on occasion, heartbreak." (You can see a promotional video for Upward Spiral in the embedded player at the bottom of this post.)

Tickets for the Branford Marsalis Quartet with special guest Kurt Elling and are on sale now to Jazz at the Bistro subscribers only, with the JSL website currently saying that prices "start at $45; $10 students." Single tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, August 10.