A truly trilling performance
Delbert Anderson Quartet blows into Lincoln City on Wednesday
Experience a powerful blend of Diné heritage, jazz and funk when the Lincoln City Cultural Center presents the Delbert Anderson Quartet on Wednesday, March 11.
Led by Diné trumpeter, composer and educator Delbert Anderson, the quartet merges traditional Diné “spinning songs” with modern jazz, funk and hip-hop influences, creating a groove-driven sound that honors heritage while pushing musical boundaries.
Raised in Shiprock, New Mexico, Anderson began playing trumpet at age 10 and later studied music at the University of New Mexico. He formed the Delbert Anderson Quartet to create original music grounded in Navajo culture while engaging audiences through improvisation and contemporary energy. Noteworthy projects include "The Long Walk: 1,674 Days," reflecting on Navajo history, and a forthcoming tribute to Indigenous Jazz legends Don Cherry and Jim Pepper. Anderson also spearheads the "Build A Band" program, teaching jazz improvisation to kids, emphasizing Diné values. His work has earned acclaim from Chamber Music America, the First Peoples Fund, and coverage in The New York Times and NPR. His compositions draw inspiration from Navajo Nation landscapes, historical events and the desire to preserve and educate about Diné history.
“Our music reflects who we are and where we come from,” Anderson said. “It carries tradition forward while creating something new for today.”
The other members of the group are pianist and keyboardist Robert Muller, drummer Khalill Brown and bassist Evan Suiter.
The quartet has performed across the United States and internationally, earning recognition for technical mastery, vibrant stage presence and meaningful cultural expression. On stage, audiences can expect soaring trumpet lines, tight rhythmic interplay and moments that shift from meditative reflection to high-energy celebration.
Santa Fe–based Muller is known for versatility across genres from jazz to neo-soul and underground hip-hop. He spent formative years in Portland, including mentorship under Blue Note jazz legend Andrew Hill. After college, Muller performed in New York City venues including the Blue Note and the Knitting Factory. Now a fixture of the New Mexico music scene, he collaborates with artists including Hillary Smith, Joy Harjo, Delbert Anderson and Ryan Montaño. The New Mexico Music Awards recognized Muller’s Kodama Trio for its jazz achievements.
Brown, who has roots in the Blackfoot and Cherokee tribes, is a Denver-based funk and fusion drummer known for technical prowess and stylistic range. His musical journey began at the age of eight, opening for Ziggy Marley. He overcame a career-threatening wrist injury and has gone on to share stages with Steel Pulse, KRS-One, Snarky Puppy and Stephen Marley. Raised in a family steeped in reggae and Rasta culture and experienced in drumline and backing bands across hip-hop, jazz, funk and country, Brown aims to elevate audiences through music.
Suiter began his musical journey at the age of 13 and has developed into a seasoned bassist performing across jazz, country, Latin, funk, classical and rock/pop genres. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music in 2008 and studied at Victor Wooten’s Center for Music and Nature. Suiter has shared stages with Tito Puente Jr., Bob Dorough and The Drifters. Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he also performs with Chevel Shepherd
Writing in The New York Times, Michael Powell noted that by mining traditional Navajo “spinning songs” of love, healing and courtship and marrying them to jazz and funk lines, Anderson and his trio “have taken a place at the forefront of a vibrant Native American jazz scene.”
“We are excited to showcase an artist who is contributing to the evolution of jazz through centering his cultural identity and commitment to community,” said Serena Dressel, executive director of the Lincoln City Cultural Center. “We are honored to host Delbert shortly after his performance with Acosia Red Elk at the Portland Jazz Festival.”
Wednesday’s concert begins at 7 pm at the Lincoln City Cultural Center, located at 540 NE Hwy. 101. For more information, go to lincolncity-culturalcenter.org or call 541-994-9994.