Marsalis meets Tchaikovsky through Ellington

December 14th, 2005 · No Comments

Aimee and I attended our first concert at the Eastman Theatre on Monday night, a great holiday show from the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra under the masterful and unpretentious leadership of Wynton Marsalis.

We saw the LCJO and Marsalis at Symphony Hall in Boston last fall; this time, Dianne Reeves wasn’t around, but Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite was on the program, one of my favorite jazz ensemble pieces. The first half of the program featured some originals and standards, as well as a little call and response with former Marsalis Septet trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, who was attendingthe concert in the front row with his trombone by his side, ready to a play a show at a local jazz club later that night.

The Suite was played closely enough to the original to make me happy, with a nice dose of improvisation and playing around, as well. We didn’t get any encores, as they were all off to see join in on Gordon’s show down the street, but the concert was a lot of fun, and it was a nice experience to see that beautiful theater. Everyone really dresses up when they go out here, something people in Boston don’t seem to do much anymore.

We’ve finally got snow on the ground, and my computer tells me its about 3? outside right now. That’s what we came here for, right?

Tags: Music