The Fall 2016 release of Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra debut album Make America Great Again! has garnered attention across the jazz community. According to Offbeat Magazine, “The city’s and Delfeayo’s personalities, including the leader’s musical acumen, often barbed wit and political outlook, fill Make America Great Again!”
Read Offbeat’s full review.
Recently, The Advocate’s Keith Spera interviewed Mr. Marsalis about the album, finding “the Make America Great Again! title was not intended as an endorsement of then-candidate, and now President-elect, Donald Trump, Marsalis said. Instead, it’s an endorsement of what the song’s creation represents. ‘It’s a collaborative effort,’ he said. ‘That’s a great thing. That’s about making New Orleans the last original city in the country. We’re not afraid to come together and collaborate on ideas from many different social levels.'”
Read Spera’s full article.
Photo above from The Advocate’s John McCusker.