The Broad Stage presents Delfeayo Marsalis & The Uptown Jazz Orchestra in their Broad Stage debut on Friday, March 11, 2022 at 7:30 PM on the Main Stage.
When Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra hit the stage, audiences are guaranteed to-as the lyrics go-have a jazz party, all night long! Since 2008, UJO has been stretching the boundaries of what is expected from big bands, playing with an extraordinary sense of joy and fun that could only come from New Orleans. With influences from Louis Armstrong to Count Basie, James Brown to J. Cole, Marsalis and UJO performances help free the mind, warm the heart, and heal the soul. The addition of vocalist-and The Voice semi-finalist-Tonya Boyd-Cannon adds an electrifying element that engages audiences through call-and-response chants and gospel-inflected sing-a-longs.
WRTI Radio Philadelphia notes, "The music is simultaneously progressive and traditional, containing musical influences from across the jazz and blues universe and unmistakably rooted in the grooves of New Orleans second line."
UJO's unique approach stems from Marsalis' experiences performing with music legends
Ray Charles, Art Blakey,
Elvin Jones and Fats Domino. "The model of the band is that we can play music from any decade, with conviction and authority," said Marsalis to the Santa Barbara Independent. "One minute you're in the streets of New Orleans, the next at the Apollo, in a Mississippi juke joint or at a soulful church function. We're definitely a feel-good band that focuses on entertaining folks from the first note to the last!"
The Broad Stage Artistic Director, Rob Bailis, says that "Delfeayo is one of Jazz's most treasured artists. He is extraordinary in the field - he is holding down the tradition of New Orleans jazz. He is literally the culture bearer of the tradition at the height of his powers."
Tickets starting at $45 are available at
thebroadstage.org or by calling 310.434.3200, or visiting the box office at 1310 11th St. Santa Monica CA 90401, beginning three hours prior to performance.
At the age of 17, Marsalis began his career as a producer and has to date produced over 130 recordings garnering one Grammy award and several nominations. In 2000, he formed the
Uptown Music Theatre, a non-profit organization that empowers New Orleans youth through dramatic arts training. He has written 18 musicals and composed over 100 songs that help introduce kids to jazz through musical theater. His Swinging with the Cool School "soft introduction to jazz" workshops have reached over 7,500 students nationally.
Marsalis has a dual bachelor's degree in music performance and production from Berklee College of Music, a master's in jazz performance from the University of Louisville and was conferred a doctorate from the New England College.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marsalis founded the non-profit
Keep New Orleans Music Alive (KNOMA) in 2020, to provide emergency relief and health services information for native New Orleans artists.
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