In addition to winning nine Grammys, Wynton Marsalis was the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
Tomorrow night, the trumpeter will bring his internationally acclaimed musical style to Memorial Hall.
Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, which features 15 of jazz’s most famous players will perform some of Marsalis’ original compositions as well as pieces by Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and Christian McBride.
Ellen James, marketing manager for Carolina Performing Arts, said that what makes Marsalis and his orchestra stand out is that their music lends a fresher feel to the big band sound.
“Their big band music is very new and really fresh and interesting, which is why they are so compelling and why they sell out performances all over America,” she said.
John Parker, a UNC Kenan music scholar, said that the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is one of today’s most famous big bands.
“They are probably the foremost big band anywhere today,” he said. “They are playing at such a higher level than anyone else.”
The orchestra performs pieces that not only keep with Marsalis’ New Orleans roots but also expand into the world of modern jazz and beyond.
“He brings an unparalleled energy in his love of jazz,” James said.
“They are playing the standards but they are diving deep into the American jazz standard of music.”
As well as being an award-winning musician, Marsalis is also a composer, advocate and educator.
“He is an ambassador of jazz. He really wants people to understand jazz’s place as one of the true American art forms,” James said.
“This is going to be a super enjoyable performance, even if you are not fully informed. They are playing some of the coolest jazz in the past 60 years.”
See the show tomorrow night in Memorial Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $130.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
