2011 NC Award Winner for Fine Art -- Branford Marsalis

Internationally respected saxophonist Branford Marsalis set down roots in Durham ten years ago. The Tar Heel State, birthplace of John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, welcomed the young exponent of what has been called "America's greatest art form."

Born in 1960, the New Orleans native, along with his family, was honored in 2011 by the National Endowment for the Arts with an unprecedented Jazz Masters Fellowship group award. He studied at the Berklee College of Music but received practical training on the road with Clark Terry's band, Lionel Hampton's band, and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. "I've always been an advocate of expanding modern concepts in jazz but I've felt this was best done through the tradition," Marsalis says.

Marsalis grew up in a family that believes in service to others. Along with his friend Harry Connick, Jr., he promoted recovery efforts in New Orleans' Ninth Ward in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Here in North Carolina, he served as the spokesman for the Library Card campaign for the State Library of North Carolina, and, as a board member of the N.C. Symphony, Marsalis helped organize and performed for a benefit in 2010 that brought in more than $145,000 to the orchestra.