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Wynton Marsalis at The Michigan

BY LARS BJORN AND PIOTR MICHALOWSKI

Wynton Marsalis has done much to make the pre-1960s American jazz tradition more known to wider audiences. He performs and educates widely, yet was able squeeze in several visits to Michigan this year. On October 17 he visited the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor with his quintet — and we landed some of the last seats in the balcony. It was good to see that the audience included a good number of college students, since they do not come out regularly for jazz the way they did twenty-five years ago.

Marsalis' repertoire was eclectic, essentially a survey of many styles of jazz from New Orleans, through mainstream swing, to hard bop. This "history of jazz" approach probably worked wonderfully for a general audience, but for regular jazz folk this may have appeared somewhat predictable and artistically unfocussed. After settling in a groove on a number in the style of Miles Davis, for example, Marsalis would drastically change the mood to play a New Orleans funk number like "Big Fat Hen." Since Marsalis is a trumpeter of enormous talent, skill, and swing, it would have been a pleasure to hear him gradually build up the intensity as his concert progressed.

Marsalis brought a very fine group of musicians: his stalwart alto player Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson, the promising pianist Eric Lewis, Danilo Perez' former bassist Carlos Henriquez, and former Detroiter Ali Jackson on drums. Despite the less-than-satisfying choice of repertoire, there were many great moments during the concert, including Lewis' delicate Bill Evans-like solo on the ballad "Sweet Sweet Dancer." Throughout, Henriquez and Jackson carried the band splendidly, working well together and supporting the soloists.

Toward the end of the set, Toledo's own master of vocalese Jon Hendricks livened up the proceedings on a fast version of "Blue Monk," returning for "I'll Remember April" and a blues encore (with some gutsy trumpet from Marsalis). The very young Ohio alto saxophonist Aaron Holbrook was the other surprise guest; he sat in on "April" and more than held his own with these experienced musicians. Holbrook is another very talented high school student who has been discovered and nurtured by Marsalis.