Sesame Street (1969-Present)

Wynton Marsalis, 1993

Wynton Marsalis (tp), Branford Maralis (ts), Kenny Kirkland (p), Phil Bowler (b), Jeff 'Tain' Watts (dr)

Miles vs Wynton

Religions: The Archangel Gabriel

The first jazz musician was a trumpeter, Buddy Bolden, and the last will be a trumpeter, the archangel Gabriel.

(photo: Luigi Beverelli)

* * * *

An important cog in the ever turning wheel of universal humanism has passed through leaving all he touched better than it was before. He was and will always be: purveyor of pentatonic perfection; master of blues inflected melodies; hero of vertical and horizontal harmonic implications, giant of saxophone regardless of register; improviser extraordinaire in any and all musical environments; mercurial wit and biting humorist with uncommon humility and depth of understanding, seer, reader, and interpreter of ancient and modern myth…..jazz messenger. Rest In Peace. - Wynton

[Wynton Marsalis]

Propaganda:

Vivaldi:

This whole set of concertos is magical, but the B minor is my favourite. Get your three violinist best friends and play it together. Transcendent.

Marsalis:

Nicola Benedetti SLAYS this concerto!! Saw it live and it was absolutely amazing, so so creative especially a duet with the drum kit, and almost ghostly walking offstage and continuing to play while backstage was so, not eerie but kinda. so cool what other violin concerto has a hootenanny movement accompanied by a foot stomping orchestra??? AND, the notes by the composer are super cool to read too! it’s a bit long but check out the program book from the sydney symphony performance https://www.sydneysymphony.com/uploads/images/Program-Books/2023/2023-Nicola-Benedetti-performs-Marsalis-Program-Book-v2.pdf

A Bed and a Chair: A New York Love Affair (2013)

To honour the great Stephen Sondheim on what would have been his 93rd birthday, I present my remaster* of his unique 2013 revue, A Bed and a Chair, which debuted November 13th at New York City Center for an all-too-brief 5 day engagement.

Far from the usual songbook recital, the show was a new creative collaboration between Sondheim and jazz composer Wynton Marsalis, who reinterpreted each track especially for his 15-piece jazz ensemble. The resulting work casts these enduring showtunes in a new light; the gilded brass and velvet tones nods back to an era of Manhattan ballrooms and big band orchestras – the kind of lost urban elegance we search for in the records of Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer. In ways both good and sometimes contradictory, Sondheim’s New York neuroses has never sounded so luxe.

Let Jeremy Jordan effortlessly break your heart. Delight at Bernadette Peters’ left-field choices. Hear Norm Lewis somehow evoke every single member of the Rat Pack in his rendition of “Someone Is Waiting”. Try not to fall in love with French chanteuse Cyrille Aimée, a wildcard borrowed from the jazz world and the ace that makes the entire hand work. 90 minutes.

*mixed from two separate audio and video sources. While the video is 144p, to my knowledge it’s the highest quality recording of the entire show currently available. If anyone has a better looking or sounding copy, get in touch! Many thanks to the original recorders/preservationists.

Wynton Marsalis & Ellis Marsalis - Joe Cool’s Blues

Chick Corea plays Thelonious Monk.

AllMusic Staff Pick: Wynton Marsalis Amongst the People: Live at the House of Tribes

Live at the House of Tribes finds Wynton Marsalis leading his sextet at the intimate community theater space in New York City in 2002. An annual ritual of sorts, the performance makes for one of the trumpeter's best live recordings since 1986's stellar Live at Blues Alley. Backed by a slightly altered lineup from 2005's The Magic Hour, Marsalis gains first-class support from alto saxophonist Wessel Anderson, pianist Eric Lewis, drummer Joe Farnsworth, bassist Kengo Nakamura, and percussionist Orlando Q. Rodriguez. Special mention goes to Robert Rucker for his highly energetic tambourine performance on the New Orleans "2nd Line" finale.

- Matt Collar

ウィントン・マルサリスさんが第34回高松宮殿下記念世界文化賞の受賞者（音楽部門）に選ばれました。スピーチの中で私の名前も挙げてくださり本当に光栄です。Wyntonさん、おめでとうございます！

He also mentioned my name in his speech. I am very happy.Congratulations, Wynton!

Wynton Marsalis, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers