“The essence of Carnival music is the dance groove for sure,” declares Delfeayo Marsalis. “If folks don’t feel like dancing to it, it’s not Mardi Gras.”

On Marsalis’ new release, Uptown on Mardi Gras Day (Troubadour Jass Records), the trombonist, band leader and composer and his talent-packed Uptown Jazz Orchestra continue that long-held required tradition by offering fresh twists on New Orleans much-beloved Mardi Gras classics and adding new tunes to the Carnival catalog.

The album beg...