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Wynton Marsalis heads to Symphony Center for weekend residency
For most of us, turning 50 represents a major personal landmark. For Wynton Marsalis, it’s inevitably a public occasion, if only because for at least two decades he has been the world’s most widely recognized jazz artist. Keep reading »
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Rolling Stone: Paul Simon Gets a Jazz Infusion From Wynton Marsalis
Paul Simon has never been afraid to take a big musical risk. Two years after Simon and Garfunkel broke up at their commercial peak in 1970, he released his self-titled solo debut, which kicked off with “Mother and Child Reunion.” It was the first time many Americans heard reggae, and when they flipped the record they heard the salsa-tinged “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” Since then, Simon’s music has gone from gospel (“Loves Me Like a Rock”) and Afrobeat (Graceland) to Latin American percussion-based rock (Rhythm of the Saints) and the doo-wop and Latin sounds on The Capeman. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis: Swinging Into the 21st
If we call an artist who averages an album per year prolific, what then to say about Wynton Marsalis’ output of 1999-2000? During that period Marsalis released nine albums, each showcasing a different sector within his domain. Marsalis called the series Swinging Into the 21st, and that run of albums has now been compiled into an 11-disc box set that also includes All Rise, Marsalis’ monumental 2002 orchestral/vocal project. Keep reading »
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Reviews and Photos from Wynton’s Third Harvard Lecture “Meet Me at the Crossroad”
Wynton Marsalis recently gave the third of six epic lectures that he is slated to give at Harvard University. He promised that this one wasn’t going to be 4 and half hours long, as the last one was. When he got started, the result was part history lesson, part concert, part spoken-word poetry reading. Three hours into the show, his agenda became clear: He was telling a timeless story about love. For Charlie “Yardbird’’ Parker, inventor of bebop. For Bessie Smith, teller of the low-down nasty truth. For Woody Guthrie, who sang about running from the law. For all those who sang about being both broke and broken-hearted. For every artist who cared more about art than celebrity.
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Notes on music’s lessons
Jazz legend Wynton Marsalis met his audience at a tuneful crossroads at Sanders Theatre Monday night, exploring America’s diverse musical heritage. On Tuesday, the energetic trumpeter and composer met with members of the Harvard community at the intersections of music, education, ethics, and innovation during two far-reaching panel discussions. Keep reading »
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The melding of American music
A crossroad is a possible turning point, perhaps from the past, or from tradition, or from another direction. But to Wynton Marsalis, the legendary musician and artistic director of jazz at Lincoln Center, a crossroad is an intersection meant to be celebrated, which is exactly what he did in his combination performance and lecture at Harvard Monday evening. Keep reading »
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Review - Wynton Marsalis: Swinging into the 21st
I’ll admit it. When I ripped open a padded envelope last week and found a copy of Wynton Marsalis’ new box set Swinging into the 21st my heart sank. What could be said about Wynton Marsalis that hasn’t already been said? Then I started doing some research and realized that, my god, there is a lot about Wynton Marsalis that I don’t know. Keep reading »
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Revolutionary Art at University of Delaware
Wynton Marsalis believes that the revolutionary spirit of the Founding Fathers lives on in the truly American art forms of jazz, swing and the blues. Keep reading »
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Jazz great explores American culture through the arts
Integrating his beloved jazz into an exciting cultural overview, internationally renowned musician Wynton Marsalis educated the crowd gathered for the sixth annual Edward Shapiro Distinguished Lecture Series about the validity of the arts throughout U.S. history and the importance of retaining a uniquely American artistic identity. Keep reading »
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When jazz captures the young
As a student at Boston Arts Academy, Faraday Fontimus, 16, sometimes feels a disconnect between himself and other teens. A trumpet player, he prefers listening to jazz, a form of music many of his friends can’t understand. Keep reading »