Pharaohrock
January 13th, 2003, 05:27 PM
Okay, a Wynton thread is too obvious but at the same time, I think this is a stimulating idea- how Wynton will be noted in the Grove dictionary of Jazz 50 years from now. Some of this seems quite reasonable, but be forewarned there are some really pointed barbs also....btw this is from the site www.birdlives.com, by Steve Hahn.
Marsalis, Wynton
Fiery and controversial trumpeter/leader who borrowed liberally from earlier styles; educator; personality of late 20th and early 21st century. Came to attention as a member of one of Art Blakey’s last bands where he garnered as much attention for his wardrobe as for his playing. Became flagship artist for revived Columbia Jazz label from 1982 on with small group recordings that sold relatively well and introduced a host of smartly dressed young acolytes who were soon to be given their own recording contracts. From his 20s on Marsalis was represented by the media as a spokesman for a new generation of players and freely courted controversy with his opinions on the state of jazz and the value of specific practitioners. His elevated profile led to radio and television program hosting opportunities and ultimately, to the musical directorship of the Lincoln Center Jazz programs. Marsalis founded the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra as a vehicle for jazz repertory and toured extensively with studied performances of music by such masters as Ellington and Monk. The orchestra was staffed principally with Marsalis’ young associates who were criticized for their inexperience and lack of personality. Marsalis grudgingly added some older players over time but, aside from the warm embrace of university concert producers counting on his "name brand," never found much acceptance among the critical establishment.
Ironically, given his successful record with the Columbia label, Marsalis is credited with bankrupting its jazz division with his ambitious "Swinging into the 21st Century" recording project which released 8 compact discs on a monthly schedule leading up to the year 2000. Stocks of unsold compact discs were so huge that copies of "Big Train" could be found in retail cut-out bins over ten years after its release. In order to save face, Columbia parent Sony announced that it would henceforth "concentrate on documenting the wealth of creative Japanese jazz musicians who are advancing this international art form." While other members of the Marsalis family returned to piano bar gigs in their native New Orleans, Wynton continued to maintain a national presence of sorts. In his later career, still musical director of Lincoln Center, Marsalis instituted a new philosophy of repertory performance, declaring "We’ve got to get this music out of the musty concert halls and out into the fresh sea air." To that end, the Permanent Floating Jazz Festival of 2034 through 2048 featured the LCJO in note-perfect recreations of nearly forgotten mid-century (20th) players like Peanuts Hucko and Eddie Condon and spawned multiple road companies to take advantage of the proliferating cruise line business.
As a composer, Marsalis’ efforts were mostly derivative of his idols - Duke Ellington in the jazz realm and Igor Stravinsky in the classical. Early in his career much was made of Marsalis’ facility in both musical worlds and the novelty of a young African-American man playing the Haydn Concerto one night and hot jazz the next was the foundation of a clever marketing campaign. His later music for various dance companies was essentially motivated by arts funders eager to capture the elusive "crossover" audience and consisted of a pastiche of pseudo-Americana and jazz influences. The fact that neither niche cared for the music of the other diluted its impact, but among mass audiences whose interest in either music was casual, Marsalis was esteemed as a musician who could do it all.
Throughout his long career, self-appointed cultural commentator Stanley Crouch played Boswell to Marsalis’ Samuel Johnson, divining his motives, attacking his critics and incessantly promoting his reputation. Crouch, fittingly, succumbed to a fatal stroke in 2007 upon the announcement that trumpeter Dave Douglas, a musician he disdained, had been given a Pulitzer Prize. One mystery that Marsalis took to the grave was the source of his unaccountably raspy voice and the pronounced New Orleans accent that none of his family shared. Whether this was an affectation adopted (did Crouch have a role here?) to buttress his public image as a musician who sprang from the same roots as Louis Armstrong we can never know.
So what’s missing from this assessment? Stylist, innovator, founder of a new movement, singular sound on his instrument? None of these qualities are likely to be cited by future critics. Marsalis will not be known as the Dizzy Gillespie, the Miles Davis, or the Freddie Hubbard of his generation. Far from "most gifted" and "most sophisticated musician of his generation," he will be remembered as an educator, a popularizer, a figurehead for the cause of jazz, which is no mean accomplishment. If anything, Wynton Marsalis will be known as the Billy Taylor of his generation.
Marsalis, Wynton
Marsalis, Wynton
Fiery and controversial trumpeter/leader who borrowed liberally from earlier styles; educator; personality of late 20th and early 21st century. Came to attention as a member of one of Art Blakey’s last bands where he garnered as much attention for his wardrobe as for his playing. Became flagship artist for revived Columbia Jazz label from 1982 on with small group recordings that sold relatively well and introduced a host of smartly dressed young acolytes who were soon to be given their own recording contracts. From his 20s on Marsalis was represented by the media as a spokesman for a new generation of players and freely courted controversy with his opinions on the state of jazz and the value of specific practitioners. His elevated profile led to radio and television program hosting opportunities and ultimately, to the musical directorship of the Lincoln Center Jazz programs. Marsalis founded the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra as a vehicle for jazz repertory and toured extensively with studied performances of music by such masters as Ellington and Monk. The orchestra was staffed principally with Marsalis’ young associates who were criticized for their inexperience and lack of personality. Marsalis grudgingly added some older players over time but, aside from the warm embrace of university concert producers counting on his "name brand," never found much acceptance among the critical establishment.
Ironically, given his successful record with the Columbia label, Marsalis is credited with bankrupting its jazz division with his ambitious "Swinging into the 21st Century" recording project which released 8 compact discs on a monthly schedule leading up to the year 2000. Stocks of unsold compact discs were so huge that copies of "Big Train" could be found in retail cut-out bins over ten years after its release. In order to save face, Columbia parent Sony announced that it would henceforth "concentrate on documenting the wealth of creative Japanese jazz musicians who are advancing this international art form." While other members of the Marsalis family returned to piano bar gigs in their native New Orleans, Wynton continued to maintain a national presence of sorts. In his later career, still musical director of Lincoln Center, Marsalis instituted a new philosophy of repertory performance, declaring "We’ve got to get this music out of the musty concert halls and out into the fresh sea air." To that end, the Permanent Floating Jazz Festival of 2034 through 2048 featured the LCJO in note-perfect recreations of nearly forgotten mid-century (20th) players like Peanuts Hucko and Eddie Condon and spawned multiple road companies to take advantage of the proliferating cruise line business.
As a composer, Marsalis’ efforts were mostly derivative of his idols - Duke Ellington in the jazz realm and Igor Stravinsky in the classical. Early in his career much was made of Marsalis’ facility in both musical worlds and the novelty of a young African-American man playing the Haydn Concerto one night and hot jazz the next was the foundation of a clever marketing campaign. His later music for various dance companies was essentially motivated by arts funders eager to capture the elusive "crossover" audience and consisted of a pastiche of pseudo-Americana and jazz influences. The fact that neither niche cared for the music of the other diluted its impact, but among mass audiences whose interest in either music was casual, Marsalis was esteemed as a musician who could do it all.
Throughout his long career, self-appointed cultural commentator Stanley Crouch played Boswell to Marsalis’ Samuel Johnson, divining his motives, attacking his critics and incessantly promoting his reputation. Crouch, fittingly, succumbed to a fatal stroke in 2007 upon the announcement that trumpeter Dave Douglas, a musician he disdained, had been given a Pulitzer Prize. One mystery that Marsalis took to the grave was the source of his unaccountably raspy voice and the pronounced New Orleans accent that none of his family shared. Whether this was an affectation adopted (did Crouch have a role here?) to buttress his public image as a musician who sprang from the same roots as Louis Armstrong we can never know.
So what’s missing from this assessment? Stylist, innovator, founder of a new movement, singular sound on his instrument? None of these qualities are likely to be cited by future critics. Marsalis will not be known as the Dizzy Gillespie, the Miles Davis, or the Freddie Hubbard of his generation. Far from "most gifted" and "most sophisticated musician of his generation," he will be remembered as an educator, a popularizer, a figurehead for the cause of jazz, which is no mean accomplishment. If anything, Wynton Marsalis will be known as the Billy Taylor of his generation.
Marsalis, Wynton