Minnesota Orchestra Plays A Tribute To Louis Armstrong

"We're very excited to present this eclectic group of top jazz artists," says Lilly Schwartz, the Orchestra's director of pops and special projects. "Each concert in the series is one of a kind, bringing together musicians who don't typically play in the same group to perform works arranged specifically for each of the three performances."

The remaining concerts in the series will be performed on Thursday, June 26, at 7:30 p.m. (as part of Twin Cities Jazz Festival); and Thursday, July 31, at 7:30 p.m. (as part of the Orchestra's annual Sommerfest). The Minnesota Orchestra only performs on the July 31 program.

The series' debut concert, curated by and featuring trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, spotlights trumpet great Nicholas Payton, singer and trumpeter Kermit Ruffins and other performers in a tribute to the legendary trumpeter Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong. Ruffins portrays Armstrong in a semi-staged dramatic piece that interweaves elements of Armstrong's life story with music. The program also features Bill Charlap on piano and Phil Schaap, curator of Jazz at Lincoln Center, as host.

Delfeayo Marsalis, fresh from two jazz performances at Orchestra Hall last summer, is a member of the famed musical family headed by father Ellis and including brothers Wynton, Branford and Jason. He began studying trombone at age 13 and attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts High School. Delfeayo Marsalis has toured internationally with legendary jazz artists Art Blakey, Abdullah Ibrahim, Elvin Jones, Slide Hampton and Max Roach, as well as with his own modern jazz ensemble. During a tour with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, he was filmed as part of the Ken Burns documentary, Jazz. A mainstay on the New Orleans modern jazz scene, Marsalis has released three solo albums to acclaim, Pontius Pilate's Decision in 1992, Musashi in 1997, and Minions Dominion in 2006.

Phil Schaap, who curates Jazz at Lincoln Center, also leads Swing U, the Center's education series, and teaches at Juilliard. He has been broadcasting jazz in radio programs for 38 years, and his current program on Charlie Parker, Bird Flight, is heard weekdays on WKCR in New York City. Schaap has received Grammy Awards for historical writing, producing and audio engineering. -- www.minnesotaorchestra.org