MasterworksJazz has just issued a two-disc compilation The Music of America that emphasizes as much the rich legacy of his composing as it does his playing. In the liner booklet, Greg Thomas states that Wynton’s “achievement as a composer for large and small groups has not been given due consideration by so-called serious music critics.” This anthology in part would serve to display that and also perhaps answer another question raised by Thomas, “Who has the depth to plumb the entire American jazz tradition as if its all good and new, and then connect it with music from Africa, Spain, France as well as the spicy flavors of the Mediterranean?” Thomas’ last question does ignore Wynton’s dismissal at times of significant parts of the American jazz tradition which is one reason he has been a controversial figure. If Marsalis’ approach has been a classicist towards the jazz tradition, it has been one of distilling from the past to create fresh and vibrant works.
The full range of Marsalis’ compositions is evidenced by Go, Possum, Go, a brief banjo-fiddle duet between Mark O’Connor and Mark Schatz that suggests old-time strong bands with a modern sensibility, his string quartet At the Octoroon Balls - String Quartet No. 1 *: Hellbound Highball, while The Fiddler’s March from A Fiddler’s Tale Suite, brings Marsalis together with the Chamber Society of Lincoln Center with Marsalis playing in the vein of a concert trumpeter, Also fascinating is the two movements (one edited) from All Rise, with the use of a choir and LA Philharmonic in addition to the JALC Orchestra and transitions from orchestral to improvised big band segments.
This hopefully provides some idea of the breadth and depth of the oeuvre of Wynton Marsalis compiled here. The performances in The Music of America; Wynton Marsalis, transcends genres and musical categories. The sampling here substantiates Marsalis’ significant and substantial achievements.
My review copy was provided by a publicist. Here is Wynton and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
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