Photo courtesy of Jazz at Lincoln Center

The world-famous Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, featuring solo trumpeter Wynton Marsalis bottom row, fourth from the left, performs a one-time only concert Sunday night at Centennial Hall.

Friday September 28, 2001

Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis to perform Sunday at Centennial

Benny Goodman, Count Basie and Dizzy Gilespie are just a few of the famous names that have made contributions to the world of jazz since the genre's inception.

Another name that hits closer to home this weekend is Wynton Marsalis.

After a stop in California, Marsalis will play with the world-renowned Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for a singular performance Sunday at Centennial Hall.

UA adjunct assistant professor of music James Taylor will host a free "Arts Encounter" 45 minutes prior to the performance in the lobby of the Arizona State Museum, directly across from Centennial Hall. The session will be about Marsalis, including his leadership in jazz education and insight into being in a touring band.

"The people who go (to the "Arts Encounter" sessions) are intrigued, and they feel like they know more about (the performers)," Taylor said. "They're more intimately involved."

The tour is titled "United in Swing," and takes place over nine months, divided into three different segments.

"Wherever the LCJO plays throughout the world, audiences have the same joyous reaction to the pulse of swing and the sweet sound of a singing horn," Marsalis said. "Over this next season, we are going to bring this same feeling all over the country where jazz was born. Our goal is to see America truly united in swing."

On this tour, the LCJO will perform a different program each night. Songs by famous artists such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington - with an emphasis on the works of John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and original compositions by Marsalis and other LCJO members, could be drawn from the vast repertoire of prepared works.

Not having a designated program each night is not unusual in jazz.

"It's very common," Taylor said, referring to the impromptu performance methods. "The selection of the program is primarily based on the audience, the mood of the performers and the interaction between the audience and the performers."

Marsalis feels the same way about how a program is determined.

"Because jazz is so much a music of the people, by the people and for the people, there is an improvisatory feedback with an audience that keeps the best jazz players forever on their toes," Marsalis said.

The LCJO is composed of 15 of the most famous jazz soloists and ensemble players today, and has been the Jazz at Lincoln Center resident orchestra for more than 10 years. It is the world's largest non-profit arts organization dedicated to jazz.

Education is at the heart of the Jazz at Lincoln Center mission and its activities are coordinated with concert and tour programming. Some activities included are concert series, high school jazz band competitions and festivals, media broadcast events, recordings, publications, lectures, and student and educator workshops.

Under the leadership of Marsalis, who is the artistic director, the organization will produce more than 400 events during the 2001-2002 season alone.

Marsalis has been called the most accomplished and acclaimed jazz artist and composer of his generation. He has helped jazz emerge as a large part of American culture through his performances and educational efforts.

A graduate of Julliard, he has won nine Grammys, has been featured on award-winning radio shows, and was named one of "America's 25 Most Influential People" by Time Magazine and one of "The 50 Most Influential Boomers" by Life magazine. Marsalis was recently awarded the United Nations designation of "Messenger of Peace" by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.