Acclaimed trombonist, producer and educator Delfeayo Marsalis has been praised for his “technical excellence, inventive mind and frequent touches of humor,” and heralded and hailed as one of “the best, most imaginative and musical of the trombonists of his generation.” In addition to leading his own small groups and the dynamic Uptown Jazz Orchestra over the years, Marsalis has performed with music legends such as Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Art Blakey, and Elvin Jones. He has released 10 recordings as leader to critical acclaim and has steadily gained a reputation for being “a merchant of joy!” Since producing his first album at the age of 17, Marsalis has produced over 125 recordings, yielding 1 Grammy and 7 nominations. He is the founder of three non-profits designed to help strengthen the New Orleans arts community: the Uptown Music Theatre, Uptown Jazz Orchestra, and Keep New Orleans Music Alive! Marsalis’ ground-breaking educational program, Swinging with the Cool School, a soft introduction to jazz for hip tots and adults, was implemented in the local Children’s Hospital as an experimental form of music therapy in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Marsalis has reached over 6,000 students nationally through Cool School programming. --- Since coming of age in the nurturing environment of a very musical family and a distinguished bloodline of drummers, New Orleans native Herlin Riley emerged from that most creative era of all things rhythmic in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, to enliven the ensembles of such influential and demanding improvisers as pianist Ahmad Jamal and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis through his commanding yet elegant rhythmic presence. He has also worked with George Benson, Harry Connick, Jr., and Marcus Roberts. Riley played a large part in developing the drum parts for Wynton Marsalis’s Pulitzer Prize-winning album, Blood on the Fields. His authoritative style of melodic percussion is deeply imbued in the fertile creative soil of the Crescent City, encompassing as it does the entire length and breadth of America’s ongoing musical journey.