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Building the cathedral
In the fall of 2016, Wynton Marsalis spoke at an event in Manhattan commemorating the centennial of Albert Murray, the jazz historian, cultural critic and novelist who died in 2013 at age 97. Murray had been a longtime mentor to the trumpeter and composer, ever since he was an 18-year-old Juilliard student. Keep reading »
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The Marsalis brothers jazzed up a basketball conversation with Billy Donovan and Sam Presti
Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach Mark Bryant was walking alongside the basketball court at the team’s practice facility when he passed a legendary face from the jazz world oddly hanging out. Bryant turned around on this September day to enthusiastically introduce himself to Branford Marsalis. The three-time Grammy Award-winning saxophonist was there to talk about the connection between jazz and basketball with Thunder general manager Sam Presti and head coach Billy Donovan. Keep reading »
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Philadelphia Orchestra finds its groove in Wynton Marsalis concerto
Thursday night, in the middle of Nicola Benedetti’s playing a cadenza in a violin concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra, a man walked through the ensemble to a spot just inches from the violinist and started playing drums. Keep reading »
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PBS to honor Tony Bennett in music special with star-studded performances
Sharon Percy Rockefeller, president and CEO of WETA Washington, D.C., today announced the talent and broadcast plans for “Tony Bennett: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song,” a PBS music special honoring Tony Bennett’s receipt of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The program will premiere Friday, January 12, 2018 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings). Keep reading »
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How Wynton Marsalis is like Mozart - and why his concerto in Philly is for violin, not trumpet
Supposedly running 50 minutes at its 2015 London premiere, the concerto would seem to be one of the longest pieces of its kind. Now that it’s arriving for Philadelphia Orchestra concerts Thursday through Saturday at the Kimmel Center, the piece has a more Brahmsian length of 40 minutes. Rest assured, though, this concerto doesn’t sound like Brahms. Keep reading »
