To say the name Marsalis is to conjure up key performers in the genre of jazz.
“This is the number one jazz family in America,” said Kay Elliott of the Art Tatum Jazz Society.
Two members of this award-winning musical family will soon be bringing their exceptional talents to the Toledo Museum of the Art. Trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis is on tour with his father, pianist Ellis Marsalis, to promote their first complete recording together, The Last Southern Gentlemen.
The album contains 11 standards and two original compositions; a mix of both upbeat and more reflective sounds, explored through a classical, as well as improvisational approach. There are also moments of delightful surprise, such as the playful riffing on a stylized-but-familiar “Can You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street?”
Ellis is one of the most highly acclaimed pianists in jazz. His son Delfeayo grew up around the influence of his father’s talent, later developing his own musical talent on the trombone, which he started playing in sixth grade.
“I remember lying under the grand piano as a child, while my dad (Ellis) practiced. His sound is so warm and comforting that I realized I wanted to play with as much love and passion when I was older, “ the trombonist said.
The collaboration of pianist and trombonist, father and son, and their respective styles and approaches will make for a mesmerizing performance. Delfeayo Marsalis quoted trumpeter King Oliver’s renowned drummer Baby Dodds in the liner notes for The Last Southern Gentlemen, stating, “Sometimes we played so softly you could hear the people’s feet dancing.”
See the dynamic songs of The Last Southern Gentlemen come to life at the Peristyle at the Toledo Museum of Art, a theater with spectacular acoustics, featuring a curving row of 28 Ionic columns which surround the main seating area, making it the perfect venue to see these extraordinary jazz masters.
“They truly are Southern gentleman. It’s so great to have them coming here,” Elliott said.
8pm, Tuesday, April 21, 8pm. Presented by the Art Tatum Jazz Society in collaboration with the Toledo Museum of Art, tickets are available online at etix.com or by calling 419-381-8851. Limited seating. Tickets at $75, $55 and $25. [email protected] or 419-241-5299. Parking at the Museum is free for members and $5 for nonmembers.
