Wynton Marsalis Meets the St. Louis Symphony
As a kid, I hijacked my parents' tapes, records, and CDs to listen to genres from classical to Blues, Latin and Jazz, Celtic to opera. My mom especially liked the classical and Celtic music while my dad enjoyed the rest. I credit my parents for my wide range of musical genre interest. They appreciated each other's music and their tastes met in the middle with opera and Wynton Marsalis. My mom had recordings of Marsalis playing Vivaldi and dad had his Jazz.
This weekend, I had the unexpected pleasure of being invited to hear Wynton Marsalis play for the first time with the St. Louis Symphony! The "Red Velvet Ball" concert was held on Saturday October 20 and featured Wynton Marsalis' genius Swing Symphony.
Throughout the concert I was struck by the seamless melding of the Jazz and classical worlds. Sometimes when Jazz music is transposed from the more typical Jazz ensemble pieces to accommodate an entire orchestra, the music sounds trite, like classically played Jazz that's trying too hard to swing. Listening to Mr. Marsalis' piece was a profound experience because it was obvious that he not only understood the individual classical instruments' ranges and capabilities, but also how to feature each instrument section in a way that communicated the most fitting Jazz voice.
There were musical surprises in each movement, moments that brought the entire audience to laughter, reverie, deep contemplation, or dancing in their seats. You don't just sit and listen politely to Wynton Marsalis' music. I remember that well as a child listening to the CDs we had in the house. Whether he was playing classical music or Jazz, Marsalis' passion emanated from his trumpet and you could feel that he understood the music he was playing at soul level, not only a technically precise one. I danced around my living room as a child to his music and I danced in my seat at the concert on Saturday.
This Monday, I will dance in my mind as I sit at work and replay the once in a lifetime experience of seeing Wynton Marsalis play in concert with the St. Louis Symphony! The SLSO did a stunning job at capturing the soul and swing of the music. My friend Ali, who invited me to join her for the concert conveyed it best when in delighted awe she said, "I've never heard anything like it!"
To brighten your Monday, here are two videos of Wynton Marsalis playing.
1. fun and fitting for the city in which I live
2. a full recording of the Swing Symphony played by the Berlin Symphony. I wish I could post a recording of the SLSO, but this will do for now:
This weekend, I had the unexpected pleasure of being invited to hear Wynton Marsalis play for the first time with the St. Louis Symphony! The "Red Velvet Ball" concert was held on Saturday October 20 and featured Wynton Marsalis' genius Swing Symphony.
Throughout the concert I was struck by the seamless melding of the Jazz and classical worlds. Sometimes when Jazz music is transposed from the more typical Jazz ensemble pieces to accommodate an entire orchestra, the music sounds trite, like classically played Jazz that's trying too hard to swing. Listening to Mr. Marsalis' piece was a profound experience because it was obvious that he not only understood the individual classical instruments' ranges and capabilities, but also how to feature each instrument section in a way that communicated the most fitting Jazz voice.
There were musical surprises in each movement, moments that brought the entire audience to laughter, reverie, deep contemplation, or dancing in their seats. You don't just sit and listen politely to Wynton Marsalis' music. I remember that well as a child listening to the CDs we had in the house. Whether he was playing classical music or Jazz, Marsalis' passion emanated from his trumpet and you could feel that he understood the music he was playing at soul level, not only a technically precise one. I danced around my living room as a child to his music and I danced in my seat at the concert on Saturday.
This Monday, I will dance in my mind as I sit at work and replay the once in a lifetime experience of seeing Wynton Marsalis play in concert with the St. Louis Symphony! The SLSO did a stunning job at capturing the soul and swing of the music. My friend Ali, who invited me to join her for the concert conveyed it best when in delighted awe she said, "I've never heard anything like it!"
To brighten your Monday, here are two videos of Wynton Marsalis playing.
1. fun and fitting for the city in which I live
2. a full recording of the Swing Symphony played by the Berlin Symphony. I wish I could post a recording of the SLSO, but this will do for now:
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