Delfeayo Marsalis' long-delayed debut as a leader on record features the young trombonist on ten of his originals. One should ignore the religious titles and the drawings in the liner notes and enjoy the music for what it is: advanced
hard bop.
Marsalis' idol is
J.J. Johnson and his trombone playing is similar to
Johnson's style. Among the many artists who make appearances on this set are tenor saxophonist
Joshua Redman (for the opening title cut); trumpeter
Scotty Barnhart; brothers
Branford (soprano on five numbers),
Jason (who at the time was a brilliant 14-year-old drummer), and
Wynton (whose highly expressive trumpet solo on "The Weary Ways of Mary Magdalene" is one of the high points of his career); and various sidemen from the
Marsalis bands.
Delfeayo, who has mostly worked as a record producer, is now overdue for an encore.~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide