Branford Marsalis

Sunday, April 17. 8 p.m. Sanders Theatre. $37.50/$30; a limited number of student tickets, $22.50. Tickets available at Harvard Box Office.

As of this weekend, Harvard students will have a little more in common with Sting, Miles Davis, and Jay Leno, joining the ranks of those who have witnessed the musical talent of renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis, who will be performing on Sunday evening.

Despite the evident musical versatility that has enabled Marsalis to collaborate with such a variety of celebrities, his upcoming Sanders Theatre concert (organized by Boston jazz programmers Water Music/Mainstage) will be a 90-minute long performance of pure jazz.

Marsalis and the three members of his band, pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, will play heartrending ballads from their most recent CD, “Eternal.”

“It’s a long-term group,” said Water Music Director Senton Hollander in a phone interview, when asked about the group’s show. “They’ve been playing for a while. They’re all virtuosos.”

“Eternal” was released earlier this year in September and was followed by a DVD in November. The album is the quartet’s third CD under the Marsalis Music label, which Marsalis started himself in 2002 after recording with Columbia Records for twenty years.

In fact, it is “Eternal”’s evocative music which has caused Marsalis to choose Sanders Theater as the venue of his performance, instead of his usual stage at the Berklee College of Music. “The artist has usually played at Berklee, but because of the ballads he specifically requested Sanders. It’s a more intimate hall,” said Hollander.

With the location picked, mood set, and ticket sales strong, the Branford Marsalis Quartet is ready to give a great show.

—Michaela De Lacaze