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Sean Carroll’s Mindscape, Episode 12: Wynton Marsalis on Jazz, Time, and America
Jazz occupies a special place in the American cultural landscape. It’s played in elegant concert halls and run-down bars, and can feature esoteric harmonic experimentation or good old-fashioned foot-stomping swing. Nobody embodies the scope of modern jazz better than Wynton Marsalis. As a trumpet player, bandleader, composer, educator, and ambassador for the music, he has worked tirelessly to keep jazz vibrant and alive. In this bouncy conversation, we talk about various kinds of music, how they might relate to physics, and some of the greater challenges facing the United States today. Thanks to KentPresents for bringing us together. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis finds a model for life in his father, Ellis
LENOX — For Wynton Marsalis, integrity is at jazz music’s core — and his father Ellis’. “He was always the least-prejudiced person I had ever met,” 56-year-old Wynton told The Eagle during a telephone interview Monday. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis talks Tanglewood, a fateful audition at 17, and his father’s enduring influence
The respective quintets of Wynton Marsalis and his 83-year-old father, pianist Ellis Marsalis, will perform Saturday to help close out the 2018 season at Tanglewood. The younger Marsalis, 56, plans to perform four new compositions of his own, collectively titled “The Integrity Suite,” backed by his longtime rhythm section of pianist Dan Nimmer, bassist Carlos Henriquez, and drummer Ali Jackson. Recent Juilliard graduate Julian Lee, 22, will round out the quintet on tenor saxophone and clarinet. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis on Aretha Franklin’s All-Caps Emails and ‘Healing’ Voice
I first met Ms. Franklin in the late ‘80s and was so excited, I had to slap myself back to reality. Afterward, I called my momma and told her. She said, “Boy, I hope you remembered your manners and didn’t act like a fool in front of that lady.” Keep reading »
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Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis says rap and hip-hop are ‘more damaging than a statue of Robert E. Lee
“My words are not that powerful. I started saying in 1985 I don’t think we should have a music talking about niggers and bitches and hoes. It had no impact. I’ve said it. I’ve repeated it. I still repeat it. To me that’s more damaging than a statue of Robert E. Lee.” Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis & Ethan Iverson: A Conversation on Jazz & Race
At the inaugural Jazz Congress, co-produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center and JazzTimes in New York City on Jan. 11-12, among the most anticipated events was a conversation on jazz and race featuring JALC managing and artistic director Wynton Marsalis and Ethan Iverson, a founding member of the Bad Plus, an important jazz blogger and a pianist with a deep reverence for jazz history. Moderated by artist manager/consultant Andre Guess, the hour-long conversation in JALC’s the Appel Room moved swiftly through ideas and anecdotes while never losing its feeling of diplomacy and mutual respect. Here are some highlights. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis Reflects on 30 Years of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra operating under the leadership of New Orleans trumpet great Wynton Marsalis, who co-founded the program in 1987 (the Orchestra was started the following year) and serves as both its managing and artistic director. And during that time, the JLCO has established a body of work that’s explored some of the deepest aspects of American history, from the country’s oldest Baptist church to New Orleans’ Congo Square to the roots of the nation’s most beloved children’s songs. Keep reading »
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The James Altucher Show - Wynton Marsalis: How to Find the Jazz of Life: Embrace Your Creativity
I always try to go a layer deeper with my guests. Sometimes people are so good at what they do, they get lost for words. Because if your skill is to make Pulitzer Prize winning music, then that’s your skill. Keep reading »
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Juilliard: An Interview With Wynton Marsalis
Founded in 1939, it’s hard to believe that Blue Note Records has been around for nearly 80 years. Synonymous with extraordinary jazz since its inception, the label has produced and/or commissioned albums from an almost endless list of genre titans, including Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, Jackie McLean, Woody Shaw, Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, and McCoy Tyner—all of whom have works that the Jazz Orchestra is scheduled to perform on April 3. Keep reading »
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In search of genius: CBS Sunday Morning
How to account for a “stroke of genius”? How is it that lightbulb-like flashes of inspiration seem to have touched only a handful of people down through the centuries? That’s the question Mo Rocca explores in our Cover Story: Keep reading »