Hamer Hall was at full capacity for the “Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis” performance. The Lincoln Center Orchestra was greeted with enthusiastic applause on their entry to the stage. Wynton Marsalis said how glad and happy he was to be back in Melbourne again and then duly introduced each band member within the ensemble. The orchestra consisted of five multi-instrumental saxophonists, three trombones, four trumpets, piano, upright bass, drums and one sousaphone. The stage was bare except for the orchestra itself situated on risers for the trombone and trumpet sections.
Notably, every member within the ensemble was blessed with microphone pickups thus producing a wonderfully cohesive and balanced result within the audio mix. That is not to say that the musicians themselves were not those primarily responsible for this outstanding result. The glittering array of instruments within the saxophone section consisted of alto, tenor and baritone saxophones plus flutes, bass clarinets, soprano saxophones, piccolo and clarinets. This contributed to the continuing variations in multiple sonorities and appealing tone colours. Further enhancements came from muted trumpets held high above the music stands, muted trombones and of course the sousaphone.
After these initial observations, it then came to the music. This was a magnificent performance of original compositions and various arrangements completed by numerous members of the ensemble. Music from Thelonius Monk, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, Wayne Shorter and Kenny Dorham was referenced with novel and evocative arrangements that perfectly suited the orchestra’s instrumentation. It would be correct to say that every member within the orchestra had the opportunity to be a soloist within improvised and solo ballad renditions. Without fault, the relaxed precision of rhythms and perfect intonation continually impressed the listener. Similarly, it was very impressive how the flow of improvised melody seamlessly proceeded back and forth within the totality of the full ensemble.
Out of the numerous highly polished solos during this performance one member emerged for acclaim, and that was the solo from the one and only female member of the band, Nicole Glover, on the tenor saxophone. Nicole Glover’s solo was highly creative, developing into an exploration of the full range of the instrument with driving rhythms in combination with emphatic accents and exciting articulations. Similarly, Paul Nedzela’s baritone sax solo ballads were entrancing with a full-bodied authentic and expressive baritone voice. To reiterate, nonetheless, every member of this ensemble performed with purposeful and committed dedication to the art of jazz!
Clearly the direction of the orchestra comes from Wynton Marsalis. He has a massive array over 600 compositions including symphonies, suites, ballets, songs, masses, and concerti. Since 1981 to date, he has performed 4,777 concerts in 849 district cities and 64 countries around the world. He has also recorded 1539 songs and is the recipient of honorary doctorates from 39 Universities and Colleges throughout the US. Marsalis has also received 9 Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Music. He is a highly esteemed international performer, educator, lecturer, author… and a man with a sense of humour.
For instance, Wynton Marsalis had numerous humorous comments such as: –
“Music is like a clock – it goes round and round – and then comes back again.”
“What’s new in Jazz? – People are going to listen to it.”
Referring to Art Blakey – “Leave things be – get the best musicians – otherwise they will walk out.”
My favourite reference was the comment to a decrescendo: –
“A decrescendo is like handing forth a bunch of flowers and saying something sweet and then waiting for a pause.”
The concert concluded with unanimous standing applause and a “Happy Birthday” encore. This was a perfect and informal conclusion. It was heart-warming to view the mutual affection shown between the performers and the audience.
Photo supplied.
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Mark Dipnall reviewed “Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis”, presented at Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall, on August 20, 2023.
