Delfeayo Marsalis & Uptown Jazz Orchestra

No one celebrates Mardi Gras like Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra! As the third musical sibling in the contemporary jazz scene’s first family, the trombonist, arranger, bandleader, and 2011 NEA Jazz Master has found his calling as a champion of the music and culture of the Marsalis clan’s hometown, New Orleans. 

A welcoming host and deeply informed ambassador, to say nothing of his commanding skills on the trombone, Delfeayo built his jazz bona fides through tours with Art Blakey, Max Roach, Ray Charles, Elvin Jones, and Slide Hampton. He began his secondary career as a producer at age 17, helming over 125 albums and winning a GRAMMY for his production work on his brother Branford’s 1992 release I Heard You Twice the First Time.

In 2008 Marsalis assembled the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, a sensational big band featuring some of the most exciting players on the Crescent City scene.  

The ensemble’s 2023 album Uptown on Mardi Gras Day gathers a century’s worth of celebratory anthems, seamlessly melding New Orleans jazz, R&B, funk, and street rhythms into a festival of grooves. Sure, it’s only February, but it’s never too early to get your Mardi Gras on.