Wynton Marsalis, "The Party's Over"

Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis, "My Bucket's Got a Hole In It"

One More

Ok, I know there are definitely two sides of the fence on Wynton and his Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. My colleague has been known to say that he is "staunchly guarding Jazz [from the future]" I can understand the criticism in certain circumstances but to be honest it is hard not to be instantly taken aback by other examples of his prowess - especially on the horn.




Verily, I grew up on meals from his albums Live at Blues Alley, Black Codes (from the underground) Standard Time vol.3, and Citi Movements. My last post immediately reminded me of Wynton's opera performed by the old Septet. This post Free (and the last post too) viciously emphasises his mastery of the horn and all the notes and sounds to be found within.

Here...Now (yesterday's post) and much of the Septet's output in the late nineties exhibits a dryness, but be careful not to dismiss the secco, fugal strains (which are often dependant on instrumental color) for boring writing. Remember Stravinsky's Octet, for example. To be sure, Wynton is a classicist, and in the world of jazz he is surrounded by Dionysian counterparts and antagonists. In his playing though, he is able to stretch his Apollonian expressions into the modern - to where it exhibits relevancy and poignancy beyond classical limitations. Wynton playing on an Ornette Coleman tune is a great vehicle for this struggle.