-
Marsalis blasts political and societal inequities
For those who think of Wynton Marsalis as a purveyor of gauzy romantic ballads and composer of epic symphonic works, the trumpeter has a surprise in store. “From the Plantation to the Penitentiary,” to be released Tuesday on Blue Note Records, ranks as Marsalis’ most explicitly political statement to date, even as it draws on themes from earlier recordings. Keep reading »
-
Marsalis wields sharp blade in ‘Plantation’
As the most high-profile jazz artist and advocate of the past 25 years, Wynton Marsalis has become more widely quoted than any other jazz performer of his generation. Even so, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and trumpeter sounded shocked when recently asked about the distinctive drum sound on “Doin’ (Y)Our Thing,” a standout song on “From the Plantation to the Penitentiary,” his new album.
Keep reading » -
The Crimson: “From The Plantation To The Penitentiary”
“I ain’t your bitch, I ain’t your ho,” cries out vocalist Jennifer Sanon in a style reminiscent of Billie Holliday. The sentiment defines “Love and Broken Hearts,” an attack on hip-hop culture from trumpeter Wynton Marsalis’ new release, “From the Plantation to the Penitentiary.” Sanon grieves the decline of the love song and the rise of “modern day minstrels” with “songless tunes,” who emphasize sex over romance. Keep reading »
-
Making Degas and Picasso Into Jazz Stars
Music is like a painting that exists in time; painting is like music that exists in space. Bringing them together was the worthy goal of “Jazz and Art,” a weekend concert series inspired by the collection at the Modern Museum of Art and presented this weekend at the Rose Theater by Jazz at Lincoln Center. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra was heard under the direction of multireed player — here called “guest conductor” — Ted Nash, who normally plays alto saxophone and flute with the band.
Keep reading » -
CSO thunders gloriously with Marsalis’ `All Rise’
Call it a tonic for troubled times.
Keep reading »
Wynton Marsalis’ “All Rise”—an epic work that addresses fundamental questions of faith, crisis and deliverance—does not go gently into the night. -
Just a Couple of Guys Dressed in the Blues
Willie Nelson was halfway through a flinty and casually gripping guitar solo on “Rainy Day Blues” when everything clicked into place. It was his fifth song at the Allen Room on Friday night, and the bright young rhythm section onstage was finally locking in. At Mr. Nelson’s right elbow Wynton Marsalis shot the saxophonist Walter Blanding Jr. a knowing glance, one eyebrow appreciatively raised. After a somewhat tentative start, the concert hit its groove.
Keep reading » -
“What is an arranger” reviewed by the New York Times
When Wynton Marsalis goes onstage tomorrow in an outlandish outfit — say, a pink shirt, yellow pants and a purple tie — he’ll be making a statement. Not a fashion statement, but a statement about arrangement.
Keep reading » -
Beloved Styles, Crossing and Colliding
For months the American Composers Orchestra has been touting an adventurous collaborative program with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. But as the concert on Thursday night at the Rose Theater showed, bold collaborations are sometimes easier to plan than to pull off.
Keep reading » -
Wynton’s concert in Los Angeles reviewed by Variety.com
Wynton Marsalis turned up at Disney Hall Monday night, leading his quintet of like-minded musicians, backing the lustrous-voiced young singer Jennifer Sanon, keeping his vaunted horn skills in shape. With all that he has to do these days — running Jazz at Lincoln Center, composing, teaching, writing, proselytizing, helping out with the rebuilding of New Orleans — it’s amazing that he still has the time and energy to go out on the road. Yet it was a modest 90-minute set by his standards — resolutely, obstinately conservative in idiom, basically showing the flag before dashing off to the next gig or project or meeting.
Keep reading » -
Review: Wynton Marsalis And Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives, Jazz At Lincoln Center
Arguably the most influential recordings in the history of jazz, Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives and Hot Sevens were the occasion for three Jazz at Lincoln Center concerts in the Rose Theater, Sept. 28-30, featuring Wynton Marsalis and eight other musicians. As my first visit to New York in several years and my first chance to see the new digs of Jazz at Lincoln Center, I made a point of catching the Saturday night performance which, like the other two, bore the title: “Wynton and Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives.”
Keep reading »