Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra

In 2007, National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and Grammy-winning trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis formed the Uptown Jazz Orchestra to preserve important jazz traditions, including riff-playing, spontaneous group improvisation, and collective New Orleans instrumental polyphony. At the time, Marsalis realized that the New Orleans music community was lacking an infusion of young homegrown talent outside of the brass band tradition and formed the orchestra to authentically present traditional, classic, and modern compositions. Since then, the Uptown Jazz Orchestra has grown into one of the premier large ensembles in the world, releasing four critically acclaimed albums and touring nationally and internationally.

Marsalis and the orchestra plan to continue using the great legacy of American music to engage and inspire younger generations for many years.