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Jason Marsalis

“Music is always in motion,” states Jason Marsalis, and whenever he’s behind the drum kit, the music moves with graceful swing and crackling intensity, hurtling away from the familiar into fresh, exciting territory, like a bullet train headed from New Orleans to Chicago and on to destinations unknown.

Music in Motion, Marsalis’ second recording as a leader/composer, portrays this express journey from the past and the present to the future of jazz. The fuel? High-grade, premium rhythm, of course, supplied not only by the twenty-three year old drummer, but also by his team of young engineers: John Ellis (tenor sax), Derek Douget (alto & soprano sax), Jonathan Lefcoski (piano) and Peter Harris (bass). This record taps into the rhythmic potential of all these instruments, as well as new compositional avenues created by incorporating unusual rhythms into the jazz idiom, which keeps the music chugging briskly through seventy-four minutes of sinuous original material.

The track “Maracatu de Modernizar,” for example, is “based upon a northeastern Brazilian dance rhythm put inot a modern jazz context,” says Marsalis. Similarly, the track “Seven-Ay Pocky Way” utilizes a New Orleans second-line groove in 7/4 time, but Marsalis makes a distinction between two types of second-line music: “The traditional style, composed and performed by Paul Barbarin, Jelly Roll Morton, Baby Dodds, and Louis Armstrong, and the funk based second-line of the Mardi Gras Indians, the Wild Magnolias, the Meters, and so forth. ‘Seven-Ay’ is straight out of the Wild Magnolias tradition.”

Tradition, of course, is something Marsalis understands deeply. Not only is he a part of the famous New Orleans jazz tradition, which has created innumerable legendary drummers, such as Warren “Baby” Dodds, Ed Blackwell, James Black and Herlin Riley, he belongs to a renowned musical family; his father Ellis and older brothers Wynton, Branford, and Delfeayo have dramatically influenced the jazz world for almost two decades.

Jason is no exception, possessing the technical virtuosity, innate rhythmic aplomb and the compositional ingenuity associated with his forbearers. But deep roots haven’t prevented him from also developing a refreshingly progressive approach, fueled by eclectic influences (he’s just a likely to reference Igor Stravinsky, Tito Puente and Billy Cobham as Max Roach and Art Blakey) and diverse professional associations in his native New Orleans.

In the last several years, besides studying classical percussion at Loyola University, he’s worked as a sideman in contexts ranging from his father’s modern trio and other local straight-ahead combos to funk fusion bands, a Brazilian percussion ensemble, and even a Celtic group. He’s also joined acclaimed pianist Marcus Roberts’ trio, a partnership fostering creative growth in Marsalis which Roberts recently described as a “spectacular…He’s shaped his own vocabulary far beyond anything I could have shown him.”

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Album Review

Ellis Marsalis with Jason Marsalis: The New Orleans Collection: For All We Know

Read "The New Orleans Collection: For All We Know" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Newvelle Records, which was established in 2015, believes that in this digital age there is an opportunity to build a new model for creating and distributing music. Each year, Newvelle releases a series of six albums, exclusively on vinyl, that pairs musicians with celebrated artists, writers and poets. The New Orleans Collection contains four single sleeve 180 gram clear vinyl albums, each of which was recorded in New Orleans between January and March 2020 at Esplanade Studios, a former church ...

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Album Review

Steve Masakowski and the Masakowski Family: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Read "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Holiday Music...with an edge. The holiday season always provides plenty of inspiration for musicians. Jazzers are especially affected, having produced many notable records, beginning, with the Vince Guaraldi trio's A Charlie Brown Christmas (Fantasy, 1965). That recording provides a convenient jumping off point for discussing the Masakowski Family's Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, which contains several performances derived specifically from that recording. The Masakowski Family is paterfamilias and guitarist Steve Masakowski (who discharges all arrangement ...

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Jazz Near Me

Jason Marsalis Quartet at SOUTH

Read "Jason Marsalis Quartet at SOUTH" reviewed by Steve Bryant


Jason Marsalis Quartet SOUTH Philadelphia, PA October 5, 2015 It is difficult under normal circumstances for the youngest sibling in a family. When that family is named Marsalis then the dynamic changes and there exists a whole slew of standards and expectations. That is the environment that Jason Marsalis has had to deal with over the course of his life. Of course it doesn't help that his older brothers, trumpeter Wynton and ...

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Album Review

Jason Marsalis: In A World Of Mallets

Read "In A World Of Mallets" reviewed by Chuck Schultz


On a drum kit, Jason Marsalis often goes several directions (meters, not Meters) at once. On vibraphone, as he demonstrates on In A World Of Mallets, it's more a matter of smoothing out many segments into a continuous whole. Over the course of the album he invokes bells, chimes and the signature tunes of cozy wall clocks grown familiar from decades of old Hollywood, not to mention the Indonesian gamelan and, for good measure near the end, some whistling. The ...

276
Album Review

Jason Marsalis: Music Update

Read "Music Update" reviewed by J Hunter


It's not like Jason Marsalis has been invisible since he released Music in Motion (Basin Street, 2002); his name's just been on the back of CD booklets instead of the front. With Music Update, Marsalis is back at the top of the bill, except he's brought a different set of sticks with him, or more specifically, a new set of mallets.

Well, not completely new, it seems Marsalis began experimenting with the vibraphone as a primary instrument about eight years ...

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Rhythm In Every Guise

Jason Marsalis

Read "Jason Marsalis" reviewed by David A. Orthmann


At the age of 26, when most players are still absorbing the music's vast lexicon and beginning the lengthy process of finding their own identity, Jason Marsalis is well on his way to becoming an exceptional jazz drummer. Recordings made over the past several years reveal a staggering array of technical skills and resources that are invariably applied to purely musical ends. From the press rolls of Baby Dodds, to Max Roach's four-limbed independence, to the metric modulations of Jeff ...

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Album Review

Jason Marsalis: Music in Motion

Read "Music in Motion" reviewed by Mark F. Turner


All aboard! All Aboard! The cover on Jason Marsalis' sophomore recording shows the young musician standing in the center of a train track in some unknown location. This would seem a little odd at first , but upon listening to the music, the idea behind the visual makes perfect sense. The musical trek will take the listener on a journey that will leave a memorable impression at the point of disembarkation.

The name Marsalis is a common household word in ...

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Festival

Musicians On The Suncoast Jazz Festival Roster Say They Are Looking Forward To Upcoming Performances At Three Day Event

Musicians On The Suncoast Jazz Festival Roster Say They Are Looking Forward To Upcoming Performances At Three Day Event

Source: GoMedia PR

A Variety of Artists Express Their Enthusiasm for the Festival’s Evolving and Eclectic Line Up As autumn begins its inevitable turn toward winter, the chance to enjoy a combination of jazz and sunshine becomes even more tempting. From November 22 through 25, the Suncoast Jazz Festival, which takes place on the travel-award-winning Clearwater Beach, will provide both in ample amounts. This year marks the 29th anniversary of the Festival, which continues to expand its offerings from traditional jazz to include ...

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Festival

Suncoast Jazz Festival Expands Roster To Include More Nationally Known Artists, With Jason Marsalis & The 21st Century Trad Band As Headliners

Suncoast Jazz Festival Expands Roster To Include More Nationally Known Artists, With Jason Marsalis & The 21st Century Trad Band As Headliners

Source: GoMedia PR

This year marks the 29th anniversary of the Suncoast Jazz Festival, which takes place every November on the travel-award-winning Clearwater Beach. In its early years, the festival featured bands and musicians with a focus on early jazz, but more recently, working with acclaimed guitarist Nate Najar, has expanded its line-up from traditional jazz to include swing, big band, zydeco, Cajun, and some rockabilly. This year, the Jason Marsalis & the 21st Century Trad Band will headline the festival. Festival Director ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz this week: Bill Charlap, Kris Davis & Craig Taborn, Jason Marsalis, and more

Jazz this week: Bill Charlap, Kris Davis & Craig Taborn, Jason Marsalis, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

It's a busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, with several noteworthy touring performers in town, including three top-flight pianists, two of whom will be performing together as a duo. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, September 28 Pianist Bill Charlap returns with his trio for the first of two nights at Jazz at the Bistro. Charlap was here most recently in February 2014 with saxophonist Houston Person at the Bistro, but this time, the focus is ...

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Crowdfunding Campaign

NEA Jazz Master Jason Marsalis Marsalis Announces Crowdfunding Campaign For His Latest New Orleans Tribute Project Entitled "Heirs"

NEA Jazz Master Jason Marsalis Marsalis Announces Crowdfunding Campaign For His Latest New Orleans Tribute Project Entitled "Heirs"

Source: Nu Jazz Publicity

NEA Jazz Master Jason Marsalis, the youngest recipient of the highest U.S. Jazz honor, has launched a new crowd funding campaign for his latest project Heirs of the Crescent City. Heirs of the Crescent City is a soundtrack recording to an accompanying documentary. directed by Sascha, entitled Heirs. The film is about the various traditions that are passed on through families in New Orleans. The music on this album reflects those traditions as elements of Traditional Jazz, Mardi Gras, and ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz Progenies Jason Marsalis and Simone Share a Double Bill at the Annenberg Center

Jazz Progenies Jason Marsalis and Simone Share a Double Bill at the Annenberg Center

Source: AAJ Staff

Philadelphia, PA: The youngest in the first family of jazz, Jason Marsalis boasts a sound performed with “commendably ardent swing" (Jazz Times). The daughter of musical icon Nina Simone, Broadway star Simone's vocal stylings have made it to the top of Billboard and iTunes jazz charts. The Annenberg Center presents both performers in one night of stellar music as a part of its Jazz series. The performance will take place on March 17, 2012 at 8 PM. Tickets are $20-$46 ...

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Interview

Are You a 'Jazz Nerd'? Jason Marsalis Revisits and Clarifies the Term

Are You a 'Jazz Nerd'? Jason Marsalis Revisits and Clarifies the Term

Source: Michael Ricci

In the wake of causing a minor firestorm in the online jazz community last month with a playful video decrying the influence of “jazz nerds," drummer Jason Marsalis emailed me a clarification this morning that both expands on the definition, shares his inspiration for the video and offers further talking points that amount to a calling for a truce in the so-called Jazz Wars.

As a few commenters on the post argued, the crux of Marsalis' issue with so-called jazz ...

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TV / Film

Jazz War, Anyone? Jason Marsalis vs. 'Jazz Nerds International'

Jazz War, Anyone? Jason Marsalis vs. 'Jazz Nerds International'

Source: Michael Ricci

Have you, as a listener, been suffering under the influence of Jazz Nerds International?

Jazz critic and blogger for the Ottawa Citizen Peter Hum wrote a terrific post Thursday on the latest installment in what's become known as “the jazz wars," a long-running culture clash pitting the music's traditionalists -- personified by nearly any member of the gifted Marsalis family -- versus what could be considered jazz's new guard.

A little background This new guard encompasses some of ...

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Radio

The Jazz Session #86: Jason Marsalis

The Jazz Session #86: Jason Marsalis

Source: Michael Ricci


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Performance / Tour

The Ellis Marsalis Quintet Featuring Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis, the McCoy Tyner Trio, Brad Mehldau

The Ellis Marsalis Quintet Featuring Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis, the McCoy Tyner Trio, Brad Mehldau

Source: All About Jazz

Join us as we close out the 2008 Greek Theatre season on Sunday, November 16 with An Evening with The Ellis Marsalis Quintet featuring Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis, The McCoy Tyner Trio and Brad Mehldau. This is the first time these renowned jazz musicians will all be performing together on one stage. It will be a family affair when The Ellis Marsalis Quintet take the stage as Ellis will be joined by his sons Delfeayo on trombone and Jason on ...

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Performance / Tour

Stephanie Jordan and Jason Marsalis with Lionel Hampton Big Band at Official Centennial Birthday Celebration

Stephanie Jordan and Jason Marsalis with Lionel Hampton Big Band at Official Centennial Birthday Celebration

Source: All About Jazz

NEW ORLEANS, April 9, 2008 - New Orleans jazz vocalist Stephanie Jordan and vibraphonist Jason Marsalis are scheduled to perform with the Lionel Hampton Big Band on Saturday, April 19, 2008 at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art/University of New Orleans. On the same day, the museum will also debut an exhibition focusing on Lionel Hampton to coincide with the centennial anniversary of Hampton's birth on April 20, 1908. His birthday will also mark the publication by State Street Press ...

Photos

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

The New Orleans...

Newvelle Records
2021

buy

In A World Of Mallets

Basin Street Records
2013

buy

Music Update

ELM Records
2009

buy

Music in Motion

Basin Street Records
2001

buy

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