Trombonist in famed Marsalis family brings his big band to MSUM
Thursday, Oct. 17 | 7:30 p.m. | Hansen Theatre
Delfeayo Marsalis is one of the top trombonists, composers and producers in jazz today. He and the other Marsalis family members (father Ellis and brothers Branford, Wynton and Jason) earned the nation’s highest jazz honor – a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award, in 2011.
Marsalis and his big band of 16 musicians will perform at MSUM Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m. on the Hansen Theatre stage in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts.
Known for his “technical excellence, inventive mind and frequent touches of humor” (Los Angeles Times), he is “one of the best, most imaginative and musical of the trombonists of his generation.” (San Francisco Examiner.)
During a tour with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Marsalis was filmed as part of the Ken Burns documentary, Jazz, and he was an integral part of Marsalis Family: A Jazz Celebration, a DVD that assembled the entire family of musicians and was featured on PBS.
Born in New Orleans on July 28, 1965, Marsalis was destined to a life in music. “I remember my dad (Ellis Marsalis) playing piano at the house, and me laying underneath the piano as a child, listening to him play,” he said. “After briefly trying bass and drums, in sixth grade I gravitated towards the trombone, which was an extension of my personality.”
Marsalis has toured internationally with five renowned bandleaders, gaining experience and inspiration from each: “Art Blakey taught me a lot about patience and how to construct a solo. My compositions are influenced by Abdullah Ibrahim’s harmonies. Slide Hampton inspired me with the relaxation that he displays in his trombone playing along with his command of the instrument. With Max Roach, I learned that I had to be on top of my game every moment. And Elvin Jones, who I worked with for seven or eight years, taught me about humanity, expressing myself through my instrument, and how to keep time without relying on other players.”
To purchase tickets to the Marsalis concert, go to www.mnstate.edu/perform or call the MSUM Box Office at (218) 477-2271 Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. Tickets are $28 for adults, $24 for seniors and $12 for students with student ID. Tickets are also available at the door if not sold out.