Ka cika wannan jumla: Addy ya fara ganin Marsalis a talabijin a shekara ta 1981 yana wasa da ƙungiyar mawaƙa kuma ya burge shi da "ruhunsa da kuma ba da kansa" ga ƙaramin mawaƙin. Addy ya gaya wa matarsa a lokacin cewa wata rana zai yi aiki tare da Marsalis. 'Yan wasan biyu sun hadu a 1993 a
Na farko rantsar da Bill Clinton, inda suka kasance yi a kan wannan mataki da kuma gana a cikin dressing dakuna. Addy ya gaya wa Marsalis cewa yana son shi kuma ya ce "da tabbaci" cewa wata rana za su yi aiki tare. Bayan wannan ganawar ta farko, Marsalis ya halarci wasan kwaikwayon Odadaa! shekaru biyu a jere a Cibiyar Kiɗa ta Duniya a Birnin New York. A ƙarshe mawaƙa biyu sun fara aiki tare a cikin 2003, a kan wani aiki mai taken "Afirka Jazz", wanda ke wakiltar tarin abubuwan da Addy ya tsara da kuma kayan jazz na Marsalis. An gudanar da aikin ne a 2003 ta Jazz a Cibiyar Lincoln Center Orchestra da Odadaa! a Jami'ar Columbia.