Wynton’s Blogs

Wynton and Willie to play at Tonight Show

Posted on June 10th, 2008

On July 10, 2008, Wynton and Willie Nelson will perform on NBC for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, to promote their upcoming album: Two Men With The Blues

Wynton’s trumpet solo transcriptions are now available f…

Posted on June 5th, 2008

The first series of Wynton’s most famous trumpet solos is now available for purchase. The solos are available in B Flat and in concert pitch.

They cost $5 only and are in PDF format. Following your purchase you will be able to download the music to your computer and print right in your home. The available solo transcriptions are: Black Codes, Delfeayo’s Dilemma, Later, Big Fat Hen and Free to Be.

Wynton and JLCO featured on SundayArts

Posted on May 26th, 2008

This week’s edition of SundayArts Profile - the weekly series on New York’s public television station Thirteen (WNET) feature Wynton and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Give a look to their video-clip

Wynton featured on HR Lifestyle Magazine

Posted on May 23rd, 2008

On May, Wynton is featured on the cover for the new number of HR Watches & Luxury Magazine. Give a look to the article about him.

Winners of Essentially Ellington 2008 played with Wynton and JLCO

Posted on May 18th, 2008

Two high school jazz bands from Seattle took home the top honors in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 13th Annual Essentially Ellington competition that culminated with a Saturday night concert where they performed with Wynton Marsalis as guest soloist.

Wynton presented the first-place trophy to Scott Brown, director of the Roosevelt High School Jazz Band, during the awards ceremony and concert at Avery Fisher Hall. Seattle’s Garfield High School Jazz Band took second place, but it boasted the winner of the Outstanding Soloist Award in clarinetist and tenor saxophonist Carl Majeau. The third-place trophy went to the Sun Prairie High School Jazz Band from Wisconsin.


Wynton judges the performers (photo: Sue Frause on Flickr)

Saturday afternoon, May 17, Wynton announced the top three bands without revealing who won first, second or third. The winner announcement followed the concert later that night, when the top three bands performed with him and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

The Essentially Ellington competition began Thursday with a pep talk from Wynton, followed by workshops and rehearsals with Jazz at Lincoln Center mentors, a banquet and a jam session. Friday’s activities included an open rehearsal with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

At night, students fanned out to jazz clubs and Broadway shows, taking in everything from “Phantom of the Opera” to trumpeter Tom Harrell, at the Village Vanguard.


Second place: Garfield High School Jazz Band performs (photo: Sue Frause on Flickr)

Student performances were judged by a panel of four: Wynton Marsalis; composer, arranger, conductor and Ellington authority David Berger; Reggie Thomas, a professor of music at Southern Illinois University; and renowned clarinetist and band leader Bob Wilber.

This year, participating bands had a choice of six Ellington compositions to perform, including “Blue Serge,” “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “The Mooche,” and “Theme from ‘The Asphalt Jungle.’”

At Saturday night’s concert, the JALC orchestra performed compositions chosen for next year’s competition that for the first time will feature not only Ellington works but also tunes by Benny Carter, including “Symphony in Riffs” and “Movin’ Uptown.”

FIRST PLACE

Roosevelt High School

SECOND PLACE

Garfield High School

THIRD PLACE

Sun Prairie High School

HONORABLE MENTION BAND

Shorewood High School

OUTSTANDING SOLOISTS

Winner of the Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Soloist Award

Clarinet and Tenor, Garfield High School, Carl Majeau

On Clarinet

Honorable Mention Clarinet:

Stephen F. Austin High School, Stuart Davis

Roosevelt High School, Alex Dugdale

Outstanding Clarinet:

Medfield High School, Erika Santucci

On Alto Saxophone

Honorable Mention Alto Saxophone:

Roosevelt High School, Wyatt Palmer

Outstanding Alto Saxophone:

Mountlake Terrace High School, Jory Tindall

Douglass Anderson School of the Arts, Darren Escar

Sun Prairie High School, Michael Nonte

On Tenor Saxophone

Outstanding Tenor Saxophone:

Mountlake Terrace High School, Ben Walters

Stephen F. Austin High School, Matt Kennon

On Flute

Outstanding Flute: Eau Claire Memorial High School, Cheng Cheng

On Trumpet

Honorable Mention Trumpet:

Roosevelt High School, Corey Dansereau

Garfield High School, Riley Mulherkar

Champaign Central High School, Cassie Bugbee

Outstanding Trumpet:

Garfield High School, Zuben Hensler

Agoura High School, Mor Frankie

On French Horn

Outstanding French Horn:

River East Collegiate, Olivia Orton

On Trombone

Honorable Mention Trombone:

Sun Prairie High School, Trae Titus

Outstanding Trombone:

Douglass Anderson School of the Arts, T.J. Norris

Garfield High School, Jake Linde

Dekalb High School, Sam Crittenden

On Piano

Honorable Mention Piano:

Medfield High School, Matt Aucoin

Roosevelt High School, Gus Carns

Outstanding Piano:

Garfield High School, Ben Hamaji

Douglass Anderson School of the Arts, Jahann Sweet

On Bass

Outstanding Bass:

River East Collegiate, Cole Ridd

Agoura High School, Nicole Saphos

On Drums

Outstanding Drums: Douglass Anderson School of the Arts, Jeremy Smith

On Banjo

Outstanding Banjo: Sun Prairie High School, Ben Acton

Outstanding Tap Dancers

Roosevelt High School, Alex Dugdale, Ethan Kahn

OUTSTANDING SECTIONS

Reeds

Hall High School

Garfield High School

Brass

Shorewood High School

Garfield High School

Trombones

Dekalb High School

Champaign Central High School

South Whidbey High School

Sun Prairie High School

Trumpets

Sun Prairie High School

Roosevelt High School

New category: Doubler/Tripler

Honorable Mention, Doublers:

On Tenor & Alto, Dekalb High School, Jeff Miguel

On Clarinet & Alto, Eau Claire Memorial High School, Simon Adler

Outstanding Doublers:

On Baritone & Alto, Shorewood High School, Brad Murphy

On Tenor & Clarinet, River East Collegiate, Clay Ridd

Outstanding Tripler:

On Clarinet, Alto & Tenor, Champaign Central High School, Michael Anderson

In addition, Jazz at Lincoln Center recognized the winner of the seventh Essentially Ellington Essay Contest.

The contest invited students from all participating high schools to submit an essay describing a personal experience with jazz. Jazz at Lincoln Center received 53 essays from which esteemed historian, author, editor, archivist and Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University DAN MORGENSTERN chose the winners. As the 1st place winner for the winning essay entitled “What It’s All About,” Kelsey Van Dalfsen (Mountlake Terrace High School) was invited to name a seat in Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and read her essay at the opening of the festival on Thursday, May 15, 2008.

For more information visit the Annual Essentially Ellington Student Essay Contest.

Also, for the first time in the history of Essentially Ellington, Parsons School of Design student Marie Shirato created the design campaign for the program that was used in posters, advertisements, t-shirts, etc.  Shirato’s design was chosen by Jazz at Lincoln Center from a large number of Parsons student submissions. This special collaboration between Parsons School of Design and Jazz at Lincoln Center will continue annually.