Jazz Night In America: The Radio Program
Frank Stewart/Jazz at Lincoln Center
Frank Stewart/Jazz at Lincoln Center
Inspired By Injustice, Wynton Marsalis Reflects On His Music
56:00
Wynton Marsalis has always been deeply engaged in the subject of American race relations. The issue was a crucial part of his education as a young musician in New Orleans, and it has been a core preoccupation of his own work going as far back as Black Codes (From the Underground), a trailblazing album from 1985.
“Our racial problems have been so documented that we have a tendency to not realize that we’re all on this same boat,” Marsalis told Good Morning America in 1997 after he became the first jazz artist to win a Pulitzer Prize for his oratorio Blood on the Fields. “When I write the music, it’s not just the history of Blacks, it’s an American story.”
In this episode of Jazz Night, Marsalis expands on that idea and more in a conversation with our host, Christian McBride. Reflecting on our current wave of protests and the removal of public monuments, they connect this moment with a historical struggle. We’ll also hear some of the music Marsalis has made to this end, from Black Codes to Blood on the Fields to a small-group work, From the Plantation to the Penitentiary.
SET LIST
All music and words written by Wynton Marsalis
- “Black Codes” from Black Codes (From The Underground) (1985)
- “Work Song (Blood on the Fields)” from Blood on the Fields (1997)
- “Find Me” from From the Plantation to the Penitentiary (2007)
- “El ‘Gran’ Baile de la Reina” from All Rise (2002)
CREDITS
Writer and Producer: Alex Ariff; Senior Producer: Katie Simon; Host: Christian McBride; Project Manager: Suraya Mohamed; Executive Producers: Anya Grundmann and Gabrielle Armand; Senior Director of NPR Music: Lauren Onkey.
Jason Moran (left) and Georgia Anne Muldrow celebrate Charles Mingus during a program at the Kennedy Center. Jati Lindsay/Courtesy of the Kennedy Center
toggle captionJati Lindsay/Courtesy of the Kennedy Center
Muldrow Meets Mingus
57:12
Becky Harlan/WBGO
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis performs ‘Portraits of America: A Jazz Story.’ Frank Stewart /WBGO
toggle captionFrank Stewart /WBGO
JNIA Monty Alexander and Ray Brown (Photo Courtesy of the Artist)
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Jazz Night in American – Monty Alexander and Ray Brown
55:19
Vibraphonist Stefon Harris and double bassist Ben Williams. Courtesy of the artist
toggle captionCourtesy of the artist
Stefon Harris: A Generation’s Preeminent Voice Of The Vibraphone
57:10
Watch the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour perform live from Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Jazz at Lincoln Center
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Béla Fleck and Edmar Castañeda perform at St. John’s Cathedral in Knoxville, Tenn., as part of the 2019 Big Ears Festival. NPR
Henry Adebonojo
Oscar-Nominated Terence Blanchard On 30 Years Of Jazz And Film Scoring For Spike Lee
57:54
Carolina Sanchez/Red Bull Content Pool
Makaya McCraven: The Brain Behind The Mind-Bending Beats
56:45
Melanie Charles, Lakecia Benjamin and María Grand Weird Hours / Elizabeth Leitzell / Dimitri Louis/Courtesy of the artists
toggle captionWeird Hours / Elizabeth Leitzell / Dimitri Louis/Courtesy of the artists
Women To Watch: 3 Young Jazz Artists You Need To Know
58:00
