The History of Jazz is one of rules constantly being rewritten – and Wynton Marsalis knows it. As the trumpet-playing Pied Piper of jazz, Marsalis rallied a generation beneath the banner of renewed craft, virtuosity and reverence for the music's history. By now mainstream jazz takes virtually all of its cues from Marsalis; for the most part, though, his technically prodigious acolytes still ply the same old wares. The soloist remains king of the hill – the democratic impulse of unfettered individual expression has been exploited and abused since the mid-Sixties heyday of John Coltrane.
extended compositions, has the potential to alter the course of contemporary jazz; at the very least it openly questions the stagnant practices and procedures that have bogged down the music. With
Blue Interlude, Marsalis has an agenda: reuniting improvisation with compositional form and discipline. In other words, what would be so wrong with taking shorter solos in the service of lusher writing, richer arrangements and more detailed interplay
among band members? Excising some of the ego from jazz has been Marsalis's most radical act; the triumph of
Blue Interlude lies in the sum of its parts, not in its individual glories.
Of course Marsalis has a grand model to inspire him; the sumptuous melodies, harmonies, rhythms and instrumental colors of Duke Ellington inform all of Blue Interlude. Refashioning his septet into a miniature big band, Marsalis celebrates swing with grand swatches of orchestral texture and abundant instrumental exchanges. The title track is a thirty-seven-minute Marsalis original, his first extended composition to be recorded. Taking Ellington's own suites as his blueprints, Marsalis fashions Blue Interlude as a multithemed work that expertly shifts tempos and moods, juxtaposing concise solo passages with ingeniously voiced melodic statements by the horns (trumpet, trombone, alto saxophone and tenor saxophone doubling clarinet and soprano saxophone). The brilliantly alert rhythm section remains continuously on its feet, supporting and cajoling the horns. Carefully curtailed solo space forces economy and organization once again to become the improviser's main tools.
Tenor saxophonist Todd Williams's three-part "Jubilee Suite" also shares Marsalis's affection for commingling Duke-style swing with modern jazz harmonies and modal blues forms. Marsalis's aesthetic choices have obviously helped shape Williams; his piece also reins in individual solos while glorying in thick instrumental colors and pungent writing. As a saxophonist and composer, Williams emerges as a coming star.
The artistic success of Blue Interlude shouldn't be confused with innovation; Marsalis's vision remains conservative and restrictive. Superb bandleaders like Carla Bley and Muhal Richard Abrams and lesser k
