Delfeayo Marsalis brings his octet to Crystal Lake

Submitted by Raue Center for the Arts

Enjoy Grammy Award-winning producer and NEA Jazz Master Delfeayo Marsalis in “Sweet Thunder” at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake.

Delfeayo and his dynamic jazz octet perform a fresh take on the music of Duke Ellington. He will unite the worlds of music and drama, featuring a full stage set, clever props, costuming and monologues by native New Orleans thespian Kenneth Brown Jr. (of HBO’s hit series “Treme”). Taking you on a journey from 1940s Harlem to Victorian-era England and back, “Sweet Thunder” is captivating from start to finish.

As a bandleader, Marsalis has earned wide acclaim for his first three albums as a leader: “Pontius Pilate’s Decision,” “Musashi” and “Minions Dominion.” His January 2011 release “Sweet Thunder,” his most ambitious project yet, is a modern interpretation of the Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn suite “Such Sweet Thunder.” Rather than merely re-creating the classic work, which is made up of musical depictions of characters from William Shakespeare’s plays, Marsalis took the work as a point of departure for his octet, creating fresh and new music inspired by the original suite.

In January 2011, Delfeayo and the Marsalis family (father Ellis and brothers Branford, Wynton and Jason) earned the nation’s highest jazz honor — a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award.

Tickets are $36 and group pricing is available. Tickets can be purchased online at rauecenter.org or via the box office at (815) 356-9212 or 26 N. Williams St. in downtown Crystal Lake.