Dave Gelly 

Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet: The 21st Century Trad Band review – an engaging, tuneful set

Percussion takes many forms on this fine disc from the youngest Marsalis brother and his band, writes Dave Gelly
  
  

jason marsalis
Jason Marsalis… ‘a wonderfully crisp technique’. Photograph: Rick Diamond/Getty Images Photograph: Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Not just vibraphone, but glockenspiel, xylophone, marimba and even tubular bells. The youngest of the remarkable Marsalis brothers plays them all, sometimes multi-tracking several at once. This is an engaging set, tuneful and good-humoured, with titles like Blessed Unrest and The Man With Two Left Feet. Marsalis has a wonderfully crisp technique and a flair for inventing catchy melodies. As for the title number, you’ve never heard When the Saints Go Marching In sound anything like this. The rest of the quartet – pianist Austin Johnson, bassist Will Goble and drummer David Potter – really shine here.

 

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