September 30, 2008

Delfeayo Marsalis’ Tuesday Night Concerts Have
Children’s Hospital “In the Groove”

New Orleans jazz connoisseurs know certain days mean certain performances at certain venues around town. There’s Irvin Mayfield at Snug Harbor every Wednesday. On Thursday it’s Kermit Ruffins at Vaughn’s. And Jeremy Davenport is at the Ritz on Fridays and Saturdays. But jazz aficionados (as well as those who aspire to be) will soon be adding a new date to their weekly schedules – Delfeayo Marsalis, Tuesdays at Children’s Hospital.

Every week for the past several months, Marsalis’ quintet has led a free, hour-long jam session at the hospital. The concerts are an interactive experience designed to educate the audience about the historical and cultural significance of jazz and spur interest in the music. However it’s definitely not a typical concert or classroom experience. Sure the musicians may be on stage playing or leading a discussion about geniuses like Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington, but during each show they allow the audience to take a starring role and always wrap up with a rousing New Orleans song – usually a second line – where the children play instruments along with the band.

“It’s important for these kids to be around jazz in a context that they can understand it, grab it and feel part of it,” Marsalis said. “They say, ‘Man, OK, it makes sense and it’s cool, actually.’

“People have a lot of apprehension about music, especially jazz, things they’re not familiar with,” he said. “When we come here, we’re still going to play what we play, but we’re going to make joyous music and have a good time. And that’s what it’s all about when you get down to it.”

Drummer Geoff Clapp said the concerts work because Marsalis makes the music merry.

“Jazz can be serious, but here it’s fun,” Clapp said. “They’re having fun hearing it and learning about the history of jazz. They’re so curious and interested that the music grabs them. It’s a great time to introduce them to jazz and hopefully they’ll develop an appreciation for the music.”

Nineteen-year-old patient Donna Kador said the concerts have become her favorite hospital activity.

“Tuesday is my favorite day,” Kador said. “The show is really interesting. He mixes in lessons that let you know about the music. It’s wonderful,” she said. “They’re so smart and talented. I really look forward to it every week.”


A Quick Introduction

Marsalis begins each concert by introducing himself so that he may call on each child by name during the show. As he introduces the members of his band, he quizzes the audience to see if they can name the instruments the musicians have with them. As the children call out answers, Marsalis’ face erupts into animated expressions depending on the responses they’ve given, and reveals a playful personality that engages the children.

As they call out correct answers and Marsalis heaps praise upon them, their family members beam. Once the instruments are correctly named, he explains the differences in the sounds they make. For example, he explains the difference between the soprano saxophone (which looks like a brass clarinet and has a high pitched tone), alto and tenor sax (the traditional looking sax which have deeper tones) and the baritone (which has a loop behind the mouthpiece and the deepest tone of the four).


It All Starts With the Blues

Marsalis starts each show with a blues song.

“Everything in American music starts with the blues,” he says. “Jazz, rhythm & blues, rock & roll, pop, rap all derived from the blues. That’s the root.”

Before he plays a note, he describes the basic 12-bar blues format and then plays a song by Ellington. When they finish the song, he explains its structure, the standard AABA American song form.

“One melody is played and repeated, another melody (the bridge) is introduced, and then the original is replayed,” he explained.

The band then played the Flintstones’ theme song as an example. The lines that begin “Flintstones, meet the Flintstones,” and “From the town of Bedrock,” have the same melody (A), but the line that begins “Let’s ride with the family down the street,” has a different melody (B). Once the lyrics get to “When you’re with the Flintstones,” the first melody (A) returns.


History and Culture

Marsalis spends a great deal of time during the show discussing the history and cultural significance of jazz and its famous composers, as well as the music’s impact on the country.

Lee Myers, director of the hospital’s Music, Recreation and Child Life Department, said,
“It’s really a cultural event. He’s teaching things to both the kids and adults.”

During one show, trumpet player Jamelle Williams opened a session on Armstrong with the first few notes of “What a Wonderful World.” He didn’t say who composed the song before he started playing, but a girl in the audience shouted aloud, “That’s Louie! This one’s good.”

Williams, 27, couldn’t help hiding the smile that spread across his face when she recognized the song. He explained that Armstrong and his bands played differently than any other before him by injecting improvisation and breaks to feature one instrument.

“He’d syncopate the rhythm by putting accents on beats you wouldn’t expect,” Williams said. “His rhythm section had to come a long way to keep up with him, too.”

As an example, he played a straight version of “When the Saints Go Marching In” that came off very dull and uninspiring, and immediately followed it up with an exhilarating version in the upbeat New Orleans second line flair to showcase Satchmo’s style.

During another show in February, Marsalis held up a photograph of Harriet Tubman and asked the kids if they knew who she was and why she is honored.
“ We deal with Harriet Tubman not from the standpoint that she was a former slave that went on to help free other slaves, but that this is a person who saw the need for change and she affected change,” Marsalis said. “She was a great American. She wanted change and did what was necessary (to see it through).”

After a short discussion about Tubman, Marsalis introduced his song “The Underground Railroad,” but explained that he was the only one who knew the song. He explained the song’s beat to the drummer, who picked it up immediately. Eventually the trumpet and sax fell in as if they had been playing the tune together for years. In the playing of that song, the audience got two lessons - one historical and the other in the jazz musicians’ ability to improvise.

“ I’ve always been a big advocate of trying to teach about the culture and history,” Williams said. “My grandmother used to say, ‘When you know better, you do better.’ So when dealing with young people, especially in the fast times we’re seeing and all the distractions to learning that are available, you have to come back to something that is enjoyable, but educates. When Del asked me about participating, I thought it was a great thing. Plus I love to play, so it all worked out.”


Everyone’s Getting in the Groove

About halfway through each show, the musicians break long enough to pass out child-size percussion instruments to each person in the crowd – adults included – so that they may join in the music making and play along.

“ Let’s face it, kids are not going to be still, so we want them and their parents to be involved,” Marsalis said. “That’s where they have the most development because they can feel the rhythm. They can feel the beat. That brings out a lot spiritually and emotionally.”

As the kids play their instruments, Del glides through the audience.

“ When we hear you, we feel that energy, but you got to keep the groove,” he tells them.
“ When all else fails, bob your head and it will look like you’re in the groove. People will say, ‘Aw, look at you. You’re in the groove.’”

New Orleans Music

The high point of the concerts comes at the very end when the band closes out with a New Orleans tune – usually a second line.

“You can always tell a New Orleans tune because it features a military-like snare drum beat with a little something, something to make up the second line,” Marsalis says.

He then explains that the drum beat in a military march goes doom-chi-doom-chi doom-chi-doom-chi, doom-chi-doom-chi doom-chi-doom-chi. In a New Orleans beat, he says, the drum and cymbal are hit together on the second fourth beat, which goes doom-chi-doom-chi doom-chi-ka-doom-boom doom-chi-doom-chi doom-chi-ka-doom-boom.

The musicians strike up a Carnival song and the second lining begins. The cacophony of tambourines, bells, maracas and triangles blends into the jam laid down by band.

“We try to keep a balance. We don’t want to come in and do a second line the whole time. Then it would only be a big party,” Marsalis said. “We want them to have some meat and potatoes along with the cake and ice cream.”


Spiritual Healing

The most amazing thing about the concerts is the catharsis they bring. By the end of the shows, the children are acting like children – playing, smiling and laughing and having a good time.

Myers said that while concerts may go on at other hospitals, they likely don’t have musicians the quality of Marsalis.

“Del is somebody that people in the community pay to see, so the fact that he comes here (and performs for free) is really special,” Myers said. “It’s really uplifting to hear them play because they are so good. But the main thing is it’s fun. It helps people have some normalization. It gives them a chance to get out of their rooms and focus on something other than being in the hospital.”

Regina O’Connell, whose son, Alexander, is being treated in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, has brought her niece to several of Marsalis’ concerts.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to have an escape,” O’Connell said. “It’s a treat. It’s really heart warming to know that such gifted, talented musicians are coming here playing for these kids for free. I’m flattered that they come here for the kids and get them involved. It’s awesome, truly awesome. The music has healing powers.”

Marsalis said the concerts are good for everybody, especially the musicians.

“This is my favorite gig in town. By far this is the best,” Clapp, the drummer, said. “We’re here to uplift the kids and their parents. It’s very reciprocal. In fact, I probably get more than I give,” he said. “I’m just up here playing the drums, but these kids are teaching us about life.”

Marsalis is driven to educate kids about the music – he started the Uptown Music Theatre in 2000 and conducts jazz clinics across the country – but his connection to Children’s has family ties. He began volunteering at the hospital after his younger brother was diagnosed with autism. Since then he has brought several UMT performances to the hospital.

“I’ve always had a connection to Children’s Hospital,” he said. “I started when I was in the Boy Scouts and have always tried to stay in contact. Maybe it’s because I see myself as a big kid who refuses to grow up.”

“I love doing it,” he said about the jazz concerts. “I gain a lot by coming here and sharing with the kids. We want to keep this thing going. We’re having fun and looking forward to every week.”

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