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Marsalis’s ‘Train’: It’s The Rail Thing
The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra’s performance at Constitution Hall on Friday included the Washington premiere of Wynton Marsalis’s first major composition since “Blood on the Fields” was awarded the Pulitzer Prize last year. Keep reading »
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Marsalis and Co.‘s Mellow Feeling
Although trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who won a Pulitzer Prize earlier this year for his jazz opera “Blood on the Fields,” is in greater demand than ever, he remains loyal to the small clubs that helped nurture his talent. That’s the good news. The bad news is his engagement at Blues Alley through Sunday night is sold out. Keep reading »
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Marsalis Unbound
Following a limited number of concert performances, Wynton Marsalis’s Pulitzer Prize-winning composition “Blood on the Fields” has finally arrived on CD, allowing it the wider audience it deserves. Keep reading »
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Pulitzer Prizes Hit a New Note
Jazz got a Pulitzer for the first time yesterday when Wynton Marsalis got the prize for “Blood on the Fields,” an oratorio that follows the agonizing journey of two slaves, Jesse and Leona, from capture and the terror of the Middle Passage to their sale in a New Orleans marketplace and into the hardships of plantation life. Keep reading »
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Marsalis’s ‘Blood’: The Spirit Moves It
It’s not the ambition of Wynton Marsalis’s “Blood on the Fields” that’s astounding, but the composer’s assurance in addressing the shameful institution of American slavery. Keep reading »
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The Kennedy Center Honors: The Grand Prize
Last night’s Kennedy Center Honors gala paid tribute to the artistic journey. Sure, it celebrated playwright Edward Albee, composer and instrumentalist Benny Carter, country music star Johnny Cash, actor Jack Lemmon and dancer Maria Tallchief. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis, Top Tutor
It’s precisely because trumpet virtuoso Wynton Marsalis is equally comfortable in classical music and jazz—he studied at both the Juilliard and Blakey schools—that he’s so adept hosting “Marsalis on Music,” a four-part music appreciation program aimed at young listeners. It airs on Channel 26 tonight at 8 and the next three Mondays. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis at Kennedy Center Concert Hall
When Wynton Marsalis disbanded his marvelous septet last fall, the jazz trumpeter said he needed more time for composing, teaching and producing. He didn’t say he was going to stop performing live altogether, however, and Wednesday he brought a new group to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz Rage
Wynton Marsalis, the premier jazz figure of his time, leans against his black baby grand, lovingly explaining the life and legacy of Louis Armstrong to a Brazilian TV crew. The interview was supposed to have ended half an hour ago, but Marsalis waves off his publicist. He is hard into Teacher Wynton mode now, tracing Armstrong year by year from New Orleans to a Chicago ballroom. Keep reading »
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Wynton Marsalis, The Linus’ King
“When I was a boy, the only time you would hear jazz on television was when Charlie Brown came to town,” recalls trumpeter Wynton Marsalis in the liner notes to his new recording, “Joe Cool’s Blues” (Columbia). Keep reading »