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  • Marsalis’ music best thing since sliced (nut) bread

    Posted on February 25th, 1995 in Review

    In Biblical terms, finding fault with God is virtually an impossible task. In jazz terms, Wynton Marsalis is God. Take the hint. If there is such a thing as musical perfection, Marsalis and his dazzling quartet showed it last night at Vanderbilt’s Langford Auditorium.   Keep reading »

  • Imitating Armstrong As a Form Of Praise

    Posted on December 22nd, 1994 in Review

    The two programs of Louis Armstrong’s music on Saturday and Monday nights, presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center as part of its series The Armstrong Continuum, clearly represented an enormous amount of work. Nearly 40 pieces were played, with Monday night’s program at Avery Fisher Hall digging deep into Armstrong’s rarely performed orchestral works and Saturday’s at Alice Tully Hall working through the revolutionary early works of Armstrong and King Oliver, among others. It is difficult music, and not just for Armstrong’s trumpet parts; the pre-swing rhythms are hard to make come alive, and the orchestral works, even the barest ones, were often complicated by show-biz virtuosity.   Keep reading »

  • Wynton Marsalis Takes a Long Look at Slavery

    Posted on April 4th, 1994 in Review

    Wynton Marsalis’s skills have grown as fast as his ambition, and he is the most ambitious younger composer in jazz. On Friday night at Alice Tully Hall, he led the world premiere of his first work for big band, “Blood on the Fields,” a large composition—nearly three hours of music—about a vast topic, slavery. The piece was commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center, of which Mr. Marsalis is the artistic director.   Keep reading »

  • Wholly Wonderful (If Not Whole) Jazz

    Posted on February 18th, 1994 in Review

    JAZZ AT Lincoln Center, the most ambitious American attempt yet to give jazz an institutional base comparable to a major opera company or symphony orchestra, has been the center of controversy ever since it was launched in 1991.   Keep reading »

  • Got them low-down Lincoln Center blues

    Posted on January 10th, 1994 in Review

    THE PROGRAM for “What Is the Blues?,” latest concert in Lincoln Center’s “Jazz for Young People” series, contained a full-page advertisement for the home video version of Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts.   Keep reading »

  • Wynton Marsalis Septet and Garth Fagan Dance at Royce Hall

    Posted on October 25th, 1993 in Review

    All of the hype that broke out over Wynton Marsalis when he first appeared on the scene may have been 10 years premature. Only now has he finally become a genuine jazz giant, signs of which were amply displayed in, of all places, Royce Hall’s orchestra pit.   Keep reading »

  • A Red, White and Blues Evening at the White House

    Posted on June 21st, 1993 in Review

    Her’s was the opening salvo Friday evening at the White House in a heady two-hour mix of entertainment and artistry. It was one of those magic evenings when the blues in the night met the green of the lawn—specifically the South Lawn, where a large area was covered with a canopy, under which 30 artists tried to encapsulate much of the music’s history.   Keep reading »

  • Joyfull Jammings at The Blue House

    Posted on June 19th, 1993 in Review

    At night’s end, the First Saxophonist contributed a cool solo to what could be a signature tune for a president—“Every Day I Have the Blues.” Luckily, it’s already the signature tune of jazz vocalist Joe Williams, and while a poll-conscious Bill Clinton clearly might empathize with lyrics like “nobody seems to love me,” his presence last night on a stage with several dozen jazz greats was not weary confession but jubilant confirmation of his regard for the form.   Keep reading »

  • Masters of Improvisation Marsalis, Mulligan Kick off Festival

    Posted on June 13th, 1993 in Review

    Trumpeter-composer Wynton Marsalis set the tone for the evening with a version of “The Star Spangled Banner” that was steeped in New Orleans parade tradition.   Keep reading »

  • Marsalis’s Wit and Anger Evoke Visions of America

    Posted on January 16th, 1993 in Review

    “Jazz (Six Syncopated Movements)” is, true to the New York City Ballet’s habit, a new work for the company that is named after its score. The music is by Wynton Marsalis, one of contemporary jazz’s most popular musicians, and it was written for Peter Martins, one of today’s most prominent neo-classical choreographers.   Keep reading »