Comparing and contrasting the genius of Beethoven and Charlie “Bird” Parker, Delfeayo Marsalis has created a program to showcase and entertain.
With this unique jazz sextet, including Marsalis on trombone, Mark Gross and Camille Thurman on alto and tenor sax, Sullivan Fortner on piano, Gregg August on bass, and Winard Harper on drums, alongside the Music Alive Ensemble, a New Orleans-based string quartet led by Rachel Jordan on violin, listeners will hear “Beet”hoven’s classic melodies and “Bird” Parker’s brilliant compositions both “straight up” and arranged for unique instrumental combinations.
Delfeayo Marsalis, trombone and Artistic Director of Beet to Bird
Grammy Award-winning trombonist, composer, and producer of recordings by the famed Marsalis family of musicians Delfeayo Marsalis celebrates old-school jazz with his imaginative playing and impeccable range. Marsalis leads his own quintet and Uptown Jazz Orchestra and has toured with jazz luminaries such as Ray Charles, Art Blakey, Max Roach and Elvin Jones.
Mark Gross, alto sax
Mark Gross credits his prolific sound to the rich appreciation for Gospel music that resounded through his parent's Baltimore home. He has toured the world with many of his fellow pacesetters in jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Jimmy Heath and many others.
Melissa Aldana, tenor sax
Grammy-nominated saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana has garnered international recognition for her visionary work as a band leader, as well as her deeply meditative interpretation of language and vocabulary. She was recently signed with Blue Note Records and released her debut album with the historic label titled 12 Stars in March 2022. One of the founding members of the all-star collective ARTEMIS, Aldana is the first female instrumentalist and the first South American musician to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Collection (2013).
Sullivan Fortner, piano
For the past decade, Sullivan Fortner has been stretching deep-rooted talents as a pianist, composer, band leader, and uncompromising individualist. The Grammy Award-winning artist out of New Orleans pulls distinct elements from different eras and his artistry preserves the tradition and evolves the sound. He seeks connections among different musical styles that are at once deeply soulful and wildly inventive. Some of his frequent collaborators include Cecile McLorin Salvant, Etienne Charles, and Dianne Reeves.
Gregg August, bass
Bassist Gregg August spans the classical, avant-garde, jazz, and Latin jazz worlds making him one of the most versatile musicians on the scene today. He is a member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (Associate) as well as the American Composers Orchestra, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. On the jazz side he plays with and arranges for Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra.
Winard Harper, drums
Constantly in reverence of his predecessors while remaining innovative in his own right, Harper has been among the celebrated drummers in jazz for many years. He is a virtuoso on the drum set and the balafon, the West African equivalent of the marimba, he is a sought-after collaborator at home and abroad, a band leader of his quartet, his quintet and his exciting band the Jeli Posse, a regular with the legendary New York clubs, and frequent drummer for Delfeayo Marsalis’ Uptown Jazz Orchestra.
Music Alive Ensemble
The Music Alive Ensemble was founded in May 1999 with a concert at Dillard University honoring the contributions of New Orleans classical pianist Jessie Covington Dent.
The Music Alive Ensemble String Quartet, led by artistic director Rachel Jordan, violin, is a blend of outstanding musicians, composers, arrangers and educators who believe that music as art conveys the breadth, passion and intellect of society. MAE provides concerts, artist demonstrations and teaching workshops featuring classical and jazz collaborations.
MAE provides work for New Orleans musicians as well as visiting artists. Post-Katrina, several performance venues were under renovation or closed permanently. Many musicians opted not to return to New Orleans due to limited performance opportunities. MAE decided to return back to its roots and provided its unique programing to the New Orleans community. Additionally, MAE provides educational workshops for inner city public schools providing a special opportunity for New Orleans youth to interact with professional musicians, arrangers, and composers.