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Trombonist
Delfeayo Marsalis is a highly regarded jazz performer and producer who came to prominence alongside his famous siblings as a member of the renowned New Orleans-based Marsalis family. An adept improviser influenced early on by the swinging bop sound of trombonist
J.J. Johnson,
Marsalis initially emerged in the late '80s as a producer, working on albums by his brothers, saxophonist
Branford Marsalis and trumpeter
Wynton Marsalis, as well as works by
Harry Connick, Jr.,
Courtney Pine,
Marcus Roberts, and others. While he remains an in-demand producer,
Delfeayo Marsalis' own albums, like 1992's religious-inspired Pontius Pilate's Decision and 2010's Shakespeare-themed
Sweet Thunder, have solidified his reputation as a formidable artist in his own right, whose grasp of the jazz tradition is matched by his creative, often conceptual ideas.
Born in New Orleans in 1965 to Dolores Marsalis and esteemed jazz pianist and professor
Ellis Marsalis,
Delfeayo grew up alongside his five siblings, including saxophonist
Branford Marsalis, trumpeter
Wynton Marsalis, and his younger brother, drummer
Jason Marsalis. Interested in music from a young age, he initially started out on bass and drums before settling on the trombone in sixth grade. As a teenager, he attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, the Eastern Music Festival, and the Tanglewood Institute, during which time he studied classical music and jazz. After high school, he majored in both performance and audio production at the Berklee College of Music.
Marsalis also holds a master's degree in jazz performance from the University of Louisville and was conferred a doctorate by New England College.
As a performer, the trombonist gained valuable experience touring with such luminaries as
Ray Charles,
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and pianist
Abdullah Ibrahim. However, it was working as a producer that he initially distinguished himself, helming recordings by brothers
Branford and
Wynton, including
Royal Garden Blues and
Standard Time, Vol. 3: The Resolution of Romance, as well as
Music from Mo' Better Blues, the soundtrack to
Spike Lee's 1990 film. He also produced albums by
Harry Connick, Jr.,
Donald Harrison,
Marcus Roberts, and others.
As a solo performer,
Marsalis debuted in 1992 with the biblically inspired Pontius Pilate's Decision. He then paired with saxophonist
Mark Gross for the quintet date Musashi in 1997. He stayed busy over the next several years, splitting his time between playing live and producing. During this time,
Marsalis appeared on a bevy of albums, with artists including his brothers
Wynton and
Branford, saxophonist
David Sanchez,
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and more. He also played on recordings with drummer
Elvin Jones, Michael Ray & the Cosmic Krewe, and
Wycliffe Gordon, among others.
He returned to his solo work in 2006 with the
Elvin Jones tribute album
Minions Dominion.
Sweet Thunder, a reworking of
Duke Ellington's suite incorporating Shakespearean themes and characters, followed in 2010.
Marsalis then paired with his father
Ellis, for the urbane, standards-heavy
The Last Southern Gentlemen in 2014. Two years later, he delivered the politically minded
Make America Great Again! (in no way aligned with
Donald Trump), which showcased the debut of his large ensemble
the Uptown Jazz Orchestra. While on tour in support of the album, he recorded the live concert date
Kalamazoo at the Dalton Center Recital Hall at Kalamazoo's Western Michigan University. Joining the trombonist were his father
Ellis, bassist
Reginald Veal, and drummer Ralph Peterson. In February 2020, he released
Jazz Party, an exuberant production featuring his
Uptown Jazz Orchestra. Also featured on the album were guest appearances by vocalist
Tonya Boyd-Cannon, drummer Joe Dyson Jr., pianist
Kyle Roussel, and
Dirty Dozen Brass Band co-founder saxophonist
Roger Lewis. ~ Matt Collar