Delfayo Marsalis

The power was out, yet the music lit up the night as Delfayo Marsalis led a joyful set at the Bach Dynamite and Dancing Society in Half Moon Bay. Getting there was half the fun, as California was in the midst of a major winter storm, with high winds and strong rain. And when Micah and I arrived, we learned that there was a power outage from the storm, so the set would be played acoustically by battery-powered camper lights. You can see the lights in the photo.

The darkness led to a more intimate space, perfect especially when Delfayo played his trombone with a mute. He is a master of the mute. Towards the end of the set, Delafayo invited a guest on stage, the Swedish trumpet player and singer Gunhild Carling. She lit the stage on fire. Indeed, Defayo joked “since you stole the gig, you might as well stay on stage!”

All the songs had a New Orleans flavor, with a spirit that led the audience to clap hands, hoot and hollar. Yes, the power was out, yet magic filled the space. It was one of the most spirted shows I’ve seen at the venerable Bach Dynamite.

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