“This album is a celebration of the greatness of New Orleans culture,” Marsalis says. “Mardi Gras is an interesting time because people who are not from New Orleans descend upon the city and want to have a big party. The folks who live here want to be gracious and help them to have a great time, but when everybody leaves the community is still here. The music of Earl King or The Meters or Professor Longhair represents how they lived and who they were as humans. We wanted to do our best to honor that legacy. And besides, it's just so funky. Lord have mercy.”
In addition to the close-knit ensemble of gifted New Orleans musicians that makes up the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Uptown on Mardi Gras Day features guest appearances by Delfeayo’s brother Branford Marsalis on saxophone, along with drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith, and vocalists Glen-David Andrews, Dr. Brice Miller, and Tonya Boyd-Cannon. All of the arrangements for the session were crafted by both Marsalis and UJO trumpeter Andrew Baham, who also contributes vocals on several tracks.
As Dr. Brice Miller recalls in his lyric for “So New Orleans (2023),” the parades were halted for the pandemic in 2021, the first time since 1979 that Mardi Gras celebrations were cancelled in the city – even Hurricane Katrina only managed to slow, not stop, the marching. So Uptown on Mardi Gras Day is also a tribute to the city’s resilience in the face of yet another in a long history of setbacks.
Marsalis did his part during the pandemic, founding the non-profit organization Keep New Orleans Music Alive (KNOMA) to provide emergency relief to native New Orleans culture bearers. “Through that work I was able to interact with a number of the Big Chiefs, Big Queens and Indian tribes,” Marsalis says. “It really gave me a greater appreciation for who these individuals are and their importance in the community. Of course, we like to see the wonderful colors and the beautiful feathers, but these are folks who were important leaders in the community during the pandemic. They would cook big pots of food and make the rounds, checking on the elderly and the infirm. One Big Chief told me, ‘We don't have a lot, but we want to make sure that those who have less than us are taken care of.’ In a real sense, this album was inspired by the stories I heard from the Big Chiefs. And while the Mardi Gras season is in the first two months of the year, Uptown on Mardi Gras Day has the type of energy and excitement that will put you in a good mood all year round!”
Uptown on Mardi Gras Day kicks off with one of the iconic anthems of the Mardi Gras season, Al Johnson’s “Carnival Time.” Baham’s rousing vocal against drummer Herlin Riley’s street-shuffle groove gets the joint jumping, as the big band plays punchy riffs before taking over with a rousing shout chorus. The classic “Mardi Gras Mambo” is an even more extreme example of Marsalis’ diverse influences, rendered in two distinct small group versions – the first being an homage to the classic New Orleans style, and the second a blistering, modern reimagining “For the Jazz Cats” featuring Delfeayo’s agile trombone, Branford’s virtuosic soprano, and the thundering swing of Marvin “Smitty” Smith. Like several songs on his critically acclaimed Sweet Thunder, Marsalis masterfully connects the tradition with modern elements on this barn-burner.
Branford also guests, this time on tenor, alongside Glen David Andrews' nimble whistling on the Professor Longhair classic “Big Chief.” That song's composer, Earl King, is also represented by the infectious "Street Parade," which may just compel listeners to clap along and start a Second Line around the house. Another NOLA favorite son, Willie “Tee” Turbinton, is represented here by the lesser known tribute to the Big Chiefs, “New Suit,” which brings out the UJO’s funkier side. The Meters’ “They All Asked For You” is given an update by Glen David Andrews (member of another New Orleans musical dynasty), with references to Lil Wayne and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Marsalis contributes several new entries to the Carnival canon, including the title track, with a soulful vocal by UJO vocalist Tonya Boyd-Cannon; “Midnight at the Zulu Ball,” a sultry swinger fueled by a go-go beat that captures the after-hours feel of the Parade Krewes; and “Uptown Boogie,” a joyous rhumba that evokes the feel of an Allen Toussaint hit.
“After Hurricane Katrina, I realized that—as New Orleanians and musicians—we have a certain obligation to represent our culture,” Marsalis says. “The country is in a tough spot – the whole world is in a tough spot. New Orleans has always been a place that's provided a certain type of healing for the country, especially with music that carries a joyful optimism. People young and old can’t wait to hear the brass bands coming down the street so they can dance and have a good time, and that’s what we’re trying to capture…a jazz party, all night long!”
An acclaimed trombonist, composer, and producer, Delfeayo Marsalis has also dedicated his prolific career to music theatre and education. He has toured internationally with music legends such as Ray Charles, Art Blakey, Fats Domino, and Elvin Jones, as well as leading his own groups. At the age of 17, Marsalis began his career as a producer and has to date produced over 120 recordings garnering one Grammy award and several nominations. In 2008, he formed the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, a feel-good band that focuses on entertaining folks from the first note to the last. Marsalis also formed the Uptown Music Theatre in 2000, a non-profit organization that empowers youth through musical theatre training. He has written sixteen musicals to date and composed over 100 songs that help introduce kids to jazz. He has reached over 10,000 students nationally with his Swinging with the Cool School jazz workshops.
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