Delfeayo Marsalis and Marlon Jordan Quintet

Club 300 Jazz Bistro 300 Decatur St.

Delfeayo Marsalis – Trombone

Marlon Jordan – Trumpet

Jesse McBride – Piano

Neal “Sugar” Caine – bass

Julian Addison – Drums

New Orleans at night in the summer is an amazing thing. The sky is purple and the air is heavy with steam. Perfect conditions to hear some great jazz on Decatur street. Club 300 has a spacious and great sounding room for creating music with its high ceiling and upstairs balcony area. They also have an excellent restaurant, so patrons can have a fantastic meal as they watch and listen to the band. As we walked in, the band was in the middle of a free burnout, with Marlon Jordan performing acrobatics on a tight rope with his trumpet. He took the band through several improvised tempo changes and landed gracefully, turning the solo spotlight to Jesse McBride on piano. He played by himself for a minute, setting a mysterious mood, then gradually brought in the rhythm section on a burning medium swing. Delfeayo was the consummate bandleader, cracking jokes between tunes and giving everyone in the band a chance to shine. Neal Caine, on his acoustic bass, played a solo version of “If I Only Had a Brain” that was phenomenally good, and Delfeayo was featured on the classic “I Thought About You” He played the melody with a beautiful sense of phrasing and created the sentimental, wistful feeling that the lyrics express. Drummer Julian Addison, a newcomer to the group, played Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing” with a swinging backbeat that Sam Woodyard, Ellington’s longtime drummer would have loved. All in all, the band delivered a great night of music and the club provided the perfect setting for them to create.

~Kevin O'Day

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