Free to Be: Jazz of the '60S & Beyond
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Friday and Saturday Evening, March 17–18, 2017 at 8:00 Wynton Marsalis, Managing and Artistic Director Greg Scholl, Executive Director FREE TO BE: JAZZ OF THE ’60S & BEYOND Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra WALTER BLANDING, Music Director, Tenor Saxophone WYNTON MARSALIS, Trumpet GREG GISBERT , Trumpet KENNY RAMPTON, Trumpet MARCUS PRINTUP , Trumpet CHRIS CRENSHAW, Trombone VINCENT GARDNER, Trombone ELLIOT MASON, Trombone SHERMAN IRBY , Alto Saxophone TED NASH, Alto Saxophone VICTOR GOINES, Tenor Saxophone PAUL NEDZELA, Baritone Saxophone DAN NIMMER, Piano CARLOS HENRIQUEZ , Bass JASON MARSALIS , Drums There will be one 15-minute intermission during this performance. Jazz at Lincoln Center thanks its season sponsors: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Brooks Brothers, The Coca-Cola Company, Con Edison, Entergy, The Shops at Columbus Circle at Time Warner Center, SiriusXM, Steinway & Sons, and United Airlines. Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Please turn off your cell phones and other Rose Theater electronic devices. Frederick P. Rose Hall jazz.org Jazz at Lincoln Center Program — to be selected from the following – JOHN COLTRANE Acknowledgement (from A Love Supreme) arranged by Wynton Marsalis THELONIOUS MONK Bye-Ya arranged by Carlos Henriquez WAYNE SHORTER E.S.P. arranged by Ali Jackson CHARLES MINGUS Fables of Faubus arranged by Walter Blanding SONNY ROLLINS The Freedom Suite arranged by Walter Blanding WALTER BLANDING The Happiness of Being Hope Introspection Try, Try Again Joy “The Happiness of Being” was commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center with the generous support of the Howard Gilman Foundation and first performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis at Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall on March 17, 2017. DAVE BRUBECK Lost Waltz arranged by Ted Nash ORNETTE COLEMAN Ramblin arranged by Wynton Marsalis Jazz at Lincoln Center Notes on the Program will be the first piece of the evening and serve as the starting point of our journey. By Willard Jenkins The goal of the entire program is to feature This evening’s program promises some very all members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center timely reflections on a vivid era, when many Orchestra.” jazz musicians and composers were vigor - ously reacting to the profound sense of Like Jazz at Lincoln Center’s managing and social change bubbling up all around them, artistic director Wynton Marsalis, Walter reacting with often heroic music from per - Blanding is the proud product of a musical spectives of anger, hope, spirituality, and res - family; born in Cleveland, his late father olution. The program’s title speaks vol - Walter Blanding, Sr. played bass, and umes— Free To Be: Jazz of the ‘60s & mother Audrey, piano and keyboards. A Beyond . The evening will interpret musical member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center signposts of those times, as contributed by a Orchestra since 1998, Blanding, schooled select sampling of great compositions: John musically in New York, matriculated at Coltrane’s prayerful “A Love Supreme,” LaGuardia High School of Music and Art Charles Mingus’ righteous, politically angry and the New School. Eventually he “Fables of Faubus,” Ornette Coleman’s migrated to Israel to teach music, opening “Ramblin,” with its explicit forward motion, his own private music school and hailed as and Dave Brubeck’s pensive “Lost Waltz.” “Jazz Ambassador to Israel” by Newsweek International . The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis is perhaps the most Blanding’s original composition, “The resourceful large jazz ensemble on the Happiness of Being,” is sure to be the planet; each season, different members evening’s centerpiece. In crafting this selec - are challenged to refresh the band’s book. tion, Blanding was inspired by distinct peri - This evening’s performance is a classic ods in the general ‘60s human condition example of a program in large part curated and by touchstones of the African American by one such resource: saxophonist Walter experience in particular. The mission of the Blanding, who will contribute an original piece is to convey a sense of the principles composition and a re-working of the Sonny embodied in freedom. “‘The Happiness of Rollins classic “Freedom Suite” for large Being’ focuses on how we individually and ensemble. The latter challenge required a collectively view the whole concept of free - neat bit of musical architecture from Blanding, considering that a relatively spare dom. Instead of making a very specific polit - but robust saxophone-bass-drums trio per - ical statement, I choose to use a more uni - formed Rollins’ original recorded presenta - versal concept that can be understood and tion of that masterpiece. In a time of roiling appreciated by anyone. The thematic think - political uncertainty and deep division over ing that went into this piece is the simple principles of freedom in this country, idea of identifying or recognizing a problem, “Freedom Suite” is an apt expression for acceptance of that problem, and finally our times. “Considering that it is almost coming to a resolution,” Blanding says. “It impossible to represent more than a is my belief that experiencing these three decade of music in two short sets,” aforementioned things results in a kind of Blanding says, “we plan to represent some freedom. It’s my intention to help heal our important moments musically during the minds and souls through the sharing of this decade of the ‘60s. The ‘Freedom Suite’ musical journey together.” Jazz at Lincoln Center Meet the Artists Z E N I T R A Z M E E N I O T J Wynton Marsalis R A M Wynton Marsalis ( Trumpet ) is the managing E O J Walter Blanding and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Walter Blanding ( Music Director, Tenor Center and a world-renowned trumpeter Saxophone ) was born into a musical family and composer. Born in New Orleans, on August 14, 1971, in Cleveland, Ohio. He Louisiana in 1961, Marsalis began his clas - began playing the saxophone at age six and sical training on trumpet at age 12, entered by age 16 he was performing regularly with The Juilliard School at age 17, and then his parents at the Village Gate. Blanding joined Art Blakey and the Jazz Messen gers. attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School He made his recording debut as a leader in of Music & Art and Performing Arts and 1982, and has since recorded more than 60 continued his studies at the New School jazz and classical recordings, which have for Social Research where he earned a won him nine Grammy Awards. In 1983 he B.F.A. in 2005. His 1991 debut release, became the first and only artist to win both Tough Young Tenors , was acclaimed as classical and jazz Grammys in the same one of the best jazz albums of the year, and year and repeated this feat in 1984. his artistry began to impress listeners and Marsalis is also an internationally respected critics alike. He has been a member of the teacher and spokesman for music educa - Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra since tion, and has received honorary doctorates 1998 and has performed, toured and/or from dozens of U.S. universities and col - recorded with his own groups and with leges. He has written six books; his most such renowned artists as the Cab Calloway recent are Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Orchestra, Roy Hargrove, Hilton Ruiz, Whomp! Whomp! , illustrated by Paul Count Basie Orchestra, Illinois Jacquet Big Rogers and published by Candlewick Press Band, Wycliffe Gordon, Marcus Roberts, in 2012, and Moving to Higher Ground: Wynton Marsalis Quintet, Isaac Hayes, and How Jazz Can Change Your Life with many others. Blanding lived in Israel for Geoffrey C. Ward, published by Random four years and had a major impact on the House in 2008. In 1997 Marsalis became music scene while touring the country with the first jazz artist to be awarded the presti - his own ensemble and with U.S. artists gious Pulitzer Prize in music for his oratorio such as Louis Hayes, Eric Reed, Vanessa Blood on the Fields, which was commis - Rubin, and others invited to perform there. sioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center. In 2001 he He taught music in several Israeli schools was appointed Messenger of Peace by Mr. and eventually opened his own private Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United school in Tel Aviv. During this period, Nations, and he has also been designated Newsweek International called him a “Jazz cultural ambassador to the United States of Am bassador to Israel.” America by the U.S. State Department through their CultureConnect program. Marsalis was instrumental in the Higher Ground Hurricane Relief concert, produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center. The event raised more than $3 million for the Higher Ground Relief Fund to benefit the musicians, music Jazz at Lincoln Center industry-related enterprises, and other indi - of North Florida. He soon caught the ear viduals and entities from the areas in of Mercer Ellington, who hired Gardner for Greater New Orleans who were affected by his first professional job. After graduating Hurricane Katrina. Marsalis helped lead the from college, he moved to Brooklyn, New effort to construct Jazz at Lincoln Center’s York, completed a world tour with Lauryn home—Frederick P. Rose Hall—the first Hill in 2000, then joined the Jazz at Lincoln education, performance, and broadcast Center Orchestra. Gardner has served as facility devoted to jazz, which opened in instructor at The Juilliard School, as vis - October 2004. iting instructor at Florida State University and Michigan State University, and as Chris Crenshaw adjunct instructor at The New School. He Chris Crenshaw ( Trombone ) was born in has contributed many arrangements to Thomson, Georgia on December 20, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and 1982. Since birth, he has been driven by other ensembles.