Delfeayo Marsalis, a member of the Marsalis family of jazz musicians, showed a Little Rock audience his talent for giving sex appeal to the trombone, which seems to stand in the shadow of the trumpet or saxophone.
And his father, family patriarch Ellis Marsalis, displayed his talent for tickling the ivories ... literally.
Jazz on Ninth with the The Last Southern Gentlemen Tour featured the men in a relatively short, but sweet, performance Sunday in a packed Mosaic Templars Cultural Center ballroom.
Accompanied by Billy Williams on percussion and Eric Wheeler on the standup bass, the Marsalises started out with a two-part, traditional New Orleans jazz funeral dirge. "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" began slow and reverent, then took on a bit of briskness and intensity, highlighted by Delfeayo Marsalis' trombone trills and Ellis Marsalis' sprightly piano solo. The combo then moved on to a high-tempo, celebratory Second Line number.
The foursome segued into a more traditional piece before getting listeners to sing along to their rendition of the Sesame Street children's show theme song, on which Delfeayo Marsalis showed off his skill with the muffler and added a little bit of "When the Saints Go Marching In." He also showed his playful side by doing a few dance steps. Williams and Wheeler displayed their mad skills via several solos.
The men also played a tune from their new CD, also titled The Last Southern Gentlemen, "The Secret Love Affair," a sultry, mysterious midtempo tune; a rendition of "My Funny Valentine"; and a number by Ellis Marsalis, with Wheeler and Williams backing him up. As a special highlight, popular local jazz trumpeter Rodney Block went from audience member to fifth member of the group, joining Delfeayo Marsalis in a high-spirited, rapid-tempo musical duel that started off with the theme from the Flintstones cartoon.
Delfeayo Marsalis -- also the author of the children's book No Cell Phone Day -- will visit with area students at three events today, including a 1-2 p.m. workshop at Mosaic Templars, 501 W. Ninth St. Those interested in more information can email organizer Patrick Oliver at info@speakloudly.com.
Metro on 09/15/2014