The Marsalis family was bred to the traditions of New Orleans, and trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis maintains a residency at a Crescent City nightclub, Snug Harbor. Recording with his big band, the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Marsalis’ Jazz Party is meant to capture the flavor of his Snug Harbor shows. The music is as diverse as New Orleans, with echoes of Latin America, classic R&B and blues. He goes Crescent City funky on “So New Orleans!”—one easily imagines the band decked in “Indian” feathers and marching down the street for Mardi Gras. Everything is sleek and precise; even the cacophonous moments sound carefully engineered within the arrangements.
