January 10, 2007

Marsalis steps out of the shadows at Dakota
By Dan Emerson, Pioneer Press

Trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, who opened a two-night stand Tuesday at the Dakota jazz club, is one of the "other" Marsalis brothers.

Somewhat overshadowed by two older brothers, saxophonist Branford and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, Delfeayo has spent most of the past decade producing and engineering recordings for other musicians.

He's currently touring to support his first new CD since 1996, "Minions Dominion." Since he plays an instrument more often heard in a supporting rather than a lead role, Delfeayo hasn't received nearly as much attention as his older brothers. But the 41-year-old Delfeayo has evolved into a formidable trombonist with a warm, full tone that recalls the great Curtis Fuller.

After opening the set with the standard "Autumn Leaves," the quintet played several tunes from the new CD. The catchiest was "Brer Rabbit," a lighthearted Marsalis composition with a jaunty melody line.

That was followed by "The Lone Warrior," a bluesy piece Marsalis wrote and recorded to honor his former bandleader, the late, great drummer Elvin Jones. Jones was featured on the newly released CD, which he helped Marsalis record in 2004, shortly before his death.
Another new Marsalis composition was a ballad featuring the kind of lilting melody normally associated with romantic ballads; introduced as "a modern love song" by the irreverent bandleader, it has a decidedly un-romantic title: "If You Only Knew (How Glad I Am To Finally Get Rid of You.)"

The group also features two "young lions" who have recorded CDs of their own as leaders: pianist Anthony Wonsey and saxophonist Mark Shim. Both did some inventive soloing, with Shim switching from tenor to soprano sax on one tune.

Marsalis and his bandmates closed the set with an energetically updated rendition of one of the most familiar of all jazz staples, Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)." Although the tune dates back to the 1930s, in the Marsalis combo's hands it sounded just as fresh and modern as anything else the group played during their opening set.

The closing tune featured what was the most unusual, crowd-pleasing solo of the night by the fifth member of the group, an Atlanta-based percussionist whose stage name is "Dirty Red."

Red came to stage-front and tapped out a complex, varied rhythm-solo on an instrument normally only used by Louisiana zydeco musicians and seldom heard in a jazz context:The frottoir, a corrugated metal vest played using bottle openers or similar objects. Red employed thimbles taped to his fingers, along with a tambourine, to emulate the various sounds of a full drum-kit.

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