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  • The Abyssinian Mass – Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

    Posted on March 20th, 2016 in Review

    During the sermon section of The Abyssinian Mass, Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III welcomes congregants with a statement that is the underlying theme of the piece: “Everybody has a place in the house of God.”   Keep reading »

  • Wynton Marsalis’ expression of faith: ‘The Abyssinian Mass’

    Posted on March 14th, 2016 in Review

    It’s a theme that trumpeter Wynton Marsalis has considered deeply and often in his career as composer: faith. With “The Abyssinian Mass,” a three-disc set that Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will release Friday, the composer returns to the subject, in expansive form.   Keep reading »

  • Wynton Marsalis teaches Wellington kids a lesson in jazz

    Posted on March 11th, 2016 in Review

    “Be a No 1 yourself, and not a No 2 somebody else,” 750 schoolchildren shout back to jazz great Wynton Marsalis. The winner of nine Grammy Awards reminds the group what they’ve learned in the past hour. “Generosity of spirit, having good manners, learning to listen ... don’t let limitations limit you,” he says.   Keep reading »

  • Wynton Marsalis’ Swing Symphony in Perth

    Posted on March 7th, 2016 in Review

    Wynton Marsalis’ tribute to the history and players of this great music tradition is evident in his playing, choice of work, and his humble sharing of the stage. He is an internationally respected teacher and spokesperson for music education and was appointed Messenger of Peace by Kofi Annan in 2001.   Keep reading »

  • Marsalis brings golden jazz to town

    Posted on March 4th, 2016 in Review

    The last time I heard a sound this golden was when the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was in town. On Thursday night there was the same rarefied atmosphere as the sound of the iconic Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra blazed through the Perth Concert Hall.   Keep reading »

  • Review: Swing Symphony (Sydney Symphony Orchestra)

    Posted on February 29th, 2016 in Review

    Engaging head and heart is a laudable goal, frequently aimed for, less than frequently achieved, and to that end programming is something of a dark art. That old black magic, however, was definitely in the air at the Sydney Opera House as Chief Conductor David Robertson started his 2016 season with a heady brew concocted out of two perfectly complementary composers: Leonard Bernstein and Wynton Marsalis.   Keep reading »

  • Wynton Marsalis raises the temperature with jazz on a hot summer’s night

    Posted on February 27th, 2016 in Review

    The howling horns and visceral rhythms of Harlem’s Cotton Club got the audience’s blood pumping when one of the greatest figures in contemporary jazz, Wynton Marsalis, led his Lincoln Center band in series of concerts for Sydney Symphony Orchestra this week. On Wednesday, as a special one off, the 15-man band played two sets — one of Duke Ellington and the other music by George Gershwin.   Keep reading »

  • Swing Symphony review: The strings swing in Wynton Marsalis’ jazz history

    Posted on February 26th, 2016 in Review

    Jazz, like all improvisational idioms, is a dialogue, and it is this element that Wynton Marsalis especially emphasises in his Swing Symphony – that and the rhythm implicit in the title. Marsalis’​ third symphony is a seven-movement work for unamplified jazz band and orchestra, and the dialogue begins by having the 15-piece Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra embedded in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the former’s horns a nugget of gold amid the strings.   Keep reading »

  • Wynton Marsalis: A rhapsody of respect for greats of classical jazz

    Posted on February 26th, 2016 in Review

    It has been about 30 years since precocious American trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, having won Grammys in jazz and classical music, divided the jazz world with his controversial opinions. He dismissed many of the innovative or experimental styles that had come into jazz in the 1970s and 80s, and emphasised what he saw as its essential elements: coherent improvisation, swing feel and the blues.   Keep reading »

  • Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Barbican, London — ‘Flamboyant’

    Posted on February 22nd, 2016 in Review

    Wynton Marsalis promised that the final evening of JLCO’s three-night Barbican residency would “capture the impact of George Gershwin’s music on the jazz tradition”. This was accomplished in flamboyant style. The trumpeter’s introductions were as concisely eloquent as his few short solos, while JLCO’s ability to conjure earlier jazz styles remains unrivalled. Over the evening they referenced late ragtime, cool-school modernism and most points in between.   Keep reading »