The Marsalis Family
Music Redeems
Marsalis Music
www.marsalismusic.com
By George W. Harris

Subtitled “A Live Recording To Benefit The Ellis Marsalis Center For Music” in New Orleans, this April 12, 2009 gig at the JFK Performing Arts in DC stands as a testimony to the importance of family, friends and community. On the eve of Father’s Day, Patriarch Ellis Marsalis and his full quiver of Jason/dr-whistle, Branford/sax, Wynton/tp, Delfeayo/tb, and Ellis III/spoken word joined with friends Harry Connick Jr/p, Eric Revis/b and Herlin Riley/dr for an evening that gave tribute to the value of a strong family (as well as some pretty good music!).

The band literally breezes through a take of “Donna Lee” that features Jason whistling with Wynton through the tricky changes, while Branford’s tenor greases up for a funky “Monkey Puzzle.” Ellis’s solo on “After” is a work of sublimity, while Harry Connick joins him on a strident “Sweet Georgia Brown.” A tribute to dad, as wells as the loving wife of 52 years, Dolores Marsalis, leads to some boppish “At The House” before the show closes with a raucous Crescent City stomp in “ The 2nd Line.” This disc holds true the Biblical proverb, “children are a blessing from the Lord; blessed is the man whose house is filled with them.” This record is a testament to the importance of a strong family, and will make you want you to hear some tiny footsteps in your place sometime.