Delfeayo Marsalis And The American Trajectory
Friendship with a Boston trumpet player changed the course of Delfeayo's life
Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra are bringing the best of the New Orleans sound to New England. They’ll be at the Side Door in Old Lyme, CT, tonight, and Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth, NH, tomorrow, before a five-night stand at Birdland in New York. (Photo courtesy Delfeayo Marsalis)
When music fans think of a place the Marsalis family “belongs to,” that place is, of course, New Orleans. And Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra will indeed be bringing the best of the Big Easy’s vibe to a sold-out show at The Side Door in Old Lyme, CT, tonight.
But for Delfeayo, the trombone player in the family, New England also figures very prominently in the way things have turned out. Formally, of course, that time in the North started when he was a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston in the late 1980s.
But it was an informal friendship he struck up with a young musician from New England that to Delfeayo demonstrates both the complexities of the American experience as well as what good things can happen if one remains open to possibilities.
That young musician was a jazz trumpet player from Boston named Richard Hollyday, who, with younger brother Christopher, was hailed as a sort of “young lion” – they garnered a review in the New York Times for a gig they played at The Blue Note before either was 21 years old. At some point shortly before he was supposed to start college, Delfeayo went up to visit Richard. It was a trip family matriarch Dolores Marsalis, who grew up in a Louisiana in which Jim Crow segregation was the law of the land, did not endorse.
“I was in the McDonald’s All-American Band with Richard Hollyday,” Delfeayo told 8495Jazz. “I was supposed to go to Boston University. I went to stay with Richard and his family, and my mother was not happy about it – she was like, ‘You don’t know these white folks.’ Now, what I didn’t think at the time was, that was only 15 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. So her understanding of the southern trajectory – of the American trajectory – was different than mine.
“But ironically, it was that visit where I decided not to go to Boston University and to go to Berklee. Richard said ‘Man, you don’t want to play that classical crap. You should come to Berklee.’ And I didn’t really have a plan, so I said ‘OK, sounds good,’ and literally two weeks before school started I decided to go to Berklee.
“That’s how America is. If my mother had had her way, I wouldn’t have gone to visit those people. But that visit changed the entire trajectory of my life.”
When Delfeayo and the UJO take the stage tonight, they will also be reinforcing the already strong connections between the Crescent City and our regional jazz scene. It was, after all, Boston-born Newport Jazz Festival founder George Wein who also inaugurated the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. But it was a task he agreed to only after the Jim Crow laws had been repealed; George and pater familias Ellis Marsalis were friends. And if one looks carefully on the walls at The Side Door, or on the Internet, one can find a photo or two of George and club owner Ken Kitchings opening the now iconic room in 2013 (George and the Newport All Stars were the first act to play there).
Tonight’s gig won’t be the first time Delfeayo and the UJO have visited Old Lyme; “It’s one of those places that if you’re on the road and you’re looking for a stop, you stop there,” Delfeayo said. “I just called him up and said ‘Do you have a date open? Because we’re starting at Birdland on Tuesday.’ And he said ‘Yes, for sure.’ He’s a great guy and I look forward to him playing drums with us. I have to set him up on the right tunes.”
As for what the audience will hear tonight, what some of those “right tunes” for Ken to sit in on may be, Delfeayo said the UJO wants to bring the “full meal,” the sonic equivalent of an Oysters Bienville-to-Bananas Foster banquet.
“We’re going to play some Fats Domino and some Carnival music – we always keep that in the repertoire. A lot of brass band blues and some modern songs we’re bringing in.”
And, though there may be plenty of words to explain how music created by New Orleans-bred musicians cuts through differences, when all is said and done, it’s probably best just to say the New Orleans “feel” in the music is self-explanatory.
“Yeah, that’s all you need,” Delfeayo said. “New Orleans is such a great place and I think it goes back to the true melting pot of America. The contributions of the Africans are more prevalent here in New Orleans than almost anywhere else in the country.
“I would say America has always struggled and will continue to struggle with race relations and the music represents all of that – all sides of it. The beauty, the warmth, the conflict, and of course the celebration in the face of adversity.”
Whatever adversities those of us who see Delfeayo and the UJO may be facing, he wants us to walk away feeling happier.
“I want them to feel like, ‘This was the greatest show ever, I couldn’t dream of a better show, a show that would put me in a better mood, than that experience. The happiest band in the world.’”
The happiest band in the world – made possible in part, perhaps, by a kid from New Orleans and a kid from New England and a slight change in course in the American trajectory.
From the 2020 album of the same name, Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra swing “Jazz Party.” The song has the same chordal structure as “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Out and About with 8495Jazz
To alleviate confusion, ticket prices quoted now mention service fees as included or as additional; if fees are not mentioned, there are none to our knowledge. Because fees differ according to ticket type, service fee amounts are not included here but are available on venue web sites.
These listings are a curated sampling of shows in the region. As an independent resource for jazz news, 8495Jazz does not receive any consideration, free tickets, or affiliate fees for these listings. Please confirm events are still happening directly with the venue.
8495Jazz Wild Card Gig of the Week
Lincoln Hall, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT
Bria Skonberg and the Navy Commodores (trumpet, big band) w/jazz combo opening, Friday, May 23, 7:30 pm (doors at 7). Free.
Bria Skonberg, one of the busiest and best-known jazz trumpet players on the scene, is the guest jazz trumpet artist at this year’s International Women’s Brass Conference, being held at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music.
8495Jazz Spur of the Moment Gig TODAY
Academy of Music, Northampton, MA
Sun Ra Arkestra (it’s out there), 8 pm. $44.41 - $55.35 including service fee.
Other Shows This Week
Alchemy, Providence, RI
The John Allmark Jazz Orchestra (big band), Monday, May 19, 8 pm. GA $20.77.
VFW Post 399, Westport, CT
Matt Wilson (drums) and Harvie S (bass), Thursday, May 22, 7:30 and 8:45 pm. $10.76 - $20.76.
Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club, Portsmouth, NH
Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Monday, May 19, 7 pm. $20.15 - $88.15.
Side Door, Old Lyme, CT
Eddie Henderson Quartet feat. Sharp Radway (trumpet, piano), Friday, May 23 and Saturday, May 24, 8 pm. All ages, GA $65.04, student $33.27 including service fee.
Elicit Brewing Co., Manchester, CT
Hartford Jazz Orchestra, Monday, May 19, 7:30 pm. Free.
Firehouse 12, New Haven, CT
Lux Quartet (combo), Friday, May 23, 8:30 pm ($20) and 10 pm ($15).
The Falcon, Marlboro, NY
James Francies trio w/s/g Chris Potter (piano, sax, combo), today, 7:30 pm. $30 suggested donation.
The Parlour, Providence, RI
The Wood Street Jazz Band, today, 5 pm. All ages, $10.
Jams
Cafe Nine, New Haven CT
New Haven Jazz Underground jam, usually 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month: free admission
Saturday jazz jam most Saturdays, 4 pm. Free.
Blackeyed Sally’s, Hartford, CT
Jazz Wednesdays, featured set 7 pm, jam session afterward.
Carmine’s, East Hartford, CT
Paisley’s All Star Memorial Jam, 3rd Tuesday of the month, 7:30 pm. House band set followed by jam. Free.
Mahoney’s, Poughkeepsie, NY
Poughkeepsie Jazz Project, every Tuesday, 7 pm. Free.
Jazz Societies and Organizations (great info on events, festivals, and more)
Jazz Society of Fairfield County
Jazz Fridays at Three Sheets New Haven 1st/3rd Fridays from 6-9pm
Jazz Thursdays at The Cannon New Haven every other Thurs from 7-9pm.
8495Jazz takes its name from the two Interstate highways that cross our region, I-84 and I-95. Within short driving distances from either, you can find incredible entertainment, from local jams to world-famous festivals in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. 8495Jazz: From Newburgh to Newport!
You can help make 8495Jazz better. Subscribe – it’s FREE! Share it with your music-loving friends. Like and follow us on Facebook and Bluesky. Share gig information and story suggestions to 8495jazz@gmail.com
Definitely a fun night out -- saw these guys with friends who are friends with Delfeayo up in Harlem a few years ago. Never miss a Marsalis show.