Wynton Marsalis

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week on the podcast, after the inspiring conversation in our last episode with Wesley Watkins about The Jazz & Democracy Project and more, I couldn’t resist giong back into the GC archives for an encore presentation of my conversation with Maestro Wynton Marsalis. We recorded this conversation when the podcast was just a toddler, back in the days when we were just “doing something” and not yet “manifesting a new world.” It was also on the eve of the 2020 election, however, like so many of our conversations the topics and insights remain evergreen. How far we’ve come and continue to carry on! Check out the original show notes for more on his bio and topics of interest . Where to find Wynton? www.wyntonmarsalis.org The Jazz @ Lincoln Center Orchestra On YouTube On Facebook On Instagram On Spotify What’s Wynton reading? American Founders: How People of African Descent Established Freedom in the New World by Christina Proenza-Coles Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston Special Guest: Wynton Marsalis.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week I had the great treat of meeting the Maestro Wynton Marsalis, managing and artistic director of Jazz @ Lincoln Center which he co-founded in 1987. He's produced more than 100 recordings, he's a nine-time Grammy Award winner, he's an internationally acclaimed musician, composer and bandleader, an educator and a leading advocate of American culture. Wynton has created and performed an expansive range of music from quartets to big bands, chamber music ensembles to symphony orchestras and tap dance to ballet, expanding the vocabulary for jazz and classical music with a vital body of work that places him among the world’s finest musicians and composers. He is a native of the birthplace of jazz, the New Orleans, Louisiana, which he left in 1979 to attend The Julliard School in New York City. He continues to call New York home but his reach is indeed global! Where to find Wynton? www.wyntonmarsalis.org The Jazz @ Lincoln Center Orchestra On YouTube Wednesdays with Wynton and Skain's Domain On Facebook On Instagram On Twitter On Spotify What’s Wynton reading? American Founders: How People of African Descent Established Freedom in the New World by Christina Proenza-Coles Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston Other topics of interest— • Congo Square • Congo Square the Album • Yacub Abby and Odadaa! • The Ever Fonky Lowdown • Fannie Lou Hammer • From Plantation to Penitentiary • All Rise • Blood on the Fields • Thandi Ntuli • Nduduzo Makhathini • The Essentially Ellington Jazz Academy • <a href="https://www.bso.org/brands/tanglewood-music-center/explore-the-tanglewood-music-center.aspx" target="_blank" re

Show Notes: Wynton Marsalis with Marcus Miller (Blue Note at Sea 2019) This compelling episode of Jazz Cruise Conversations captures an animated, insightful interview with legendary jazz trumpeter, band leader, composer, and ambassador, Wynton Marsalis, recorded live during Blue Note at Sea 2019. Hosted by bassist and fellow cruise headliner Marcus Miller, the conversation offers a deep look into Marsalis’s formative years, his rigorous musical training, and the intellectual and philosophical foundations that shaped his career. Marsalis addresses his upbringing in segregated New Orleans, the challenges of navigating both the classical and jazz worlds, and the profound lessons learned from his highly dedicated parents regarding music and education. The discussion provides rich detail on the genesis of his career and the philosophy that guides the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO). The Power of Innate Talent: Marsalis recalls his father, Ellis Marsalis, dismissing concerns about studying with a player who couldn't read music by stating, "Son, people can either play or they can't play". Ellis Marsalis believed pure musical ability superseded formal training (though he also noted Wynton's ability to read music as a strength). The Classical Challenge: Marsalis detailed the extraordinary demands of his classical auditions for schools like Juilliard, specifically citing advice from trumpet player Thomas Stevens to memorize approximately 25 complex orchestral excerpts, advising him to "learn your audition from memory" and "get the right equipment". The Revelation of the Orchestra: His introduction to classical music came from hearing a recording of Maurice Andre, but his first experience playing orchestral music at age 14 with the New Orleans Philharmonic, rehearsing in the "middle of the hood," profoundly impacted his performance perspective. The massive, deep sound of the first chord gave him goosebumps. The Struggle with Jazz Changes: Despite being heralded as a young genius, Marsalis admitted that achieving harmonic comfort and learning to "play on changes" (adjusting improvisational notes to match changing chords) was a significant, long-term challenge, estimating it took him until he was about 28 or 29. The Substance of Education: Marsalis often quotes his mother, who was philosophically strong and insightful, advising him to focus on the "substance of your education," warning that a diploma could be given in "hating yourself". Her views shaped his strong opinions on black culture and representation. Mentorship and Intellectual Foundation: Marsalis attributed his extensive intellectual and artistic education to spending time with figures like Albert Murray, Stanley Crouch, Ralph Ellison, and Romare Bearden. Albert Murray specifically educated him on the value of Duke Ellington's music. The JLCO's Mission: Marsalis recounted asking Dizzy Gillespie for advice about forming the big band, to which Dizzy responded, "One should never consider it an achievement to lose one's orchestral heritage". The JLCO was formed in 1992, combining young musicians with legendary "original Ellingtonians," who taught them discipline and the music's heritage. The Blues as a Fundamental: Marsalis firmly stated that the blues is the bottom line on everything in American root music, serving as a harmonic concept found throughout music from Eastern traditions to Western classical composi Send us Fan Mail Listen to more episodes of Jazz Cruises Conversations on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. The back catalog contains more than a hundred interviews from past sailings. Theme Music: Provided by Marcus Miller from his song "High Life" on his album Afrodeezia on Blue Note.

Behind the scenes footage from Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra's trip to Havana, Cuba - October 3-9, 2010

On October 7, 2010 the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis performed at Teatro Mella in Havana, Cuba.

On October 5, 2010 the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis performed Duke Ellington's "Braggin' in Brass" at Teatro Mella in Havana, Cuba.

Wynton Marsalis and his quintet performing Wynton's composition "Spring Yaounde" - originally recorded on 'Citi Movement' at the Teatro Mella in Havana, Cuba. October 7, 2010

Wynton Marsalis and Chucho Valdes performing George Gershwin's 'Embraceable You' at the Teatro Mella in Havana, Cuba. October 7, 2010

Rehearsal footage from the album: From Billie Holiday to Edith Piaf - Live in Marciac(2008) Wynton Marsalis Quintet with Richard Galliano

Rehearsal footage from the album: From Billie Holiday to Edith Piaf - Live in Marciac(2008) Wynton Marsalis Quintet with Richard Galliano

Rehearsal footage from the album: From Billie Holiday to Edith Piaf - Live in Marciac(2008) Wynton Marsalis Quintet with Richard Galliano

Rehearsal footage from the album: From Billie Holiday to Edith Piaf - Live in Marciac(2008) Wynton Marsalis Quintet with Richard Galliano