Marsalis brings his style to a sold-out crowd

For those of you who were at Finney Chapel on Feb. 18, you attended quite a concert. Jazz's excellent saxophonist, Branford Marsalis, along with drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts and bassist Robert Hurst gave what could be described as one of the most elegant sold-out performances to date at Finney Chapel. Walking into the chapel, it was obvious that this audience was ready for anything Marsalis and his "partners in crime" had in store for them, for just his very presence as he approached the stage evoked such a raucous cheer from the crowd that I could feel the floor shake.

If you are an avid listener of Marsalis's music, then you know that he is a man of diverse style, rhythm and musical genre. He has worked with artists ranging from the great trumpet player Miles Davis on his title cut Decoy to R&B's young talent Shanice Wilson on her popular track, I Love Your Smile.

You late-night talk show buffs may have seen Marsalis on "The Tonight Show," as the musical director, but he has since broken from the show and has taken on this tour in addition to other projects soon to grace the shelves of record stores nation wide. If you want to hear something recent, he has just completed a record with his father, Ellis Marsalis, who has also performed at Finney Chapel. It is entitled Loved Ones, and has been very well received.

Marsalis' performance demonstarted his ability to perform anything and still remain successful with his following. The man is clearly popular, there is no other way to say it. His repertoire ranged from standards like Cole Porter's Embraceable You to some of his own original works. Then there were bassist Watts and drummer Hurst. These two musicians were superb and their energy could be felt by the audience as they responded to each note as if it were a drop of gold.

Many people felt this was a concert not to be missed. I enjoyed it to its fullest, but most of all, I enjoyed Marsalis's willingness to embrace the audience with such comfort and ease as he approached each song with an anecdotal feel leaving the crowd wanting more. In short, Marsalis gave a terrific show in celebration of Black History month.

Marsalis lived up to the intent he expressed when he said, "My message to the audience is, `We're going on a ride guys. Why don't you take a seat, strap yourself in and hold on.'"

Family tradition: Jazz great Branford Marsalis, his bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts entertained the crowd at Finney, where Branford's father, Ellis Marsalis, played last year. (photo by Lisa Lefkowitz)