The New York Times on Congo Square
The New York Times has just posted a review about Wynton’s Congo Square performed on Thursday night at the Rose Theater. (free registration needed).
As you know, Wynton, who has been recovering from a lip injury, didn’t touch the trumpet during his new commission (because he conceived his role as conductor only, according to Jazz at Lincoln Center).
As a result of the injury, Jazz at Lincoln Center has postponed a concert featuring the Wynton Marsalis Quartet and the Orion String Quartet scheduled for Thursday through next Saturday.
The concert will instead take place on Sept. 20, in Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall.
Mary Fiance Fuss, a spokeswoman for Jazz at Lincoln Center, said Wynton’s next public performance would be at the organization’s annual spring benefit, on June 5 at the Apollo Theater. But she said he had pulled out of a tour in June with the New Orleans musicians Dr. John and the Neville Brothers, which includes stops in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Illinois and Indiana.
Jurzy Girl said
on May 8, 2006 @ 5:38 am
While I am still fussy with Nate Chinen over his review of Wynton w/strings, I appreciate fully his write up of Congo Square.
“Individual exertions were not the focus” of the work as Chinen states. Any vision of music designed to illuminate the historical and cultural events of Congo Square can only be conceived accurately as a group endeavor. As so many forum participants have stated, there were brilliant solos by various LCJO members; Wynton’s horn, while missed by some, was never a drawback of Congo Square. Indeed, in the history of the now legendary geographical setting, group synthesis was still strong; individual forays of the legal, social and musical sort were a thing of the future.
The “mambo like” section, Sunday Market was brilliantly executed. As I recall, there were also other sections of the work that revealed the multiplicity of cultures that converged in Congo Square. Again, historially accurate and a musical tribute the significane of the site but also a reality shaped by the undeniable, progressive polyrhytms of Africa and its associated diaspora.
A “saccharine ballad” by Imani Gonzalez?” What the hell? Grrrrr!!!
But Mr. Chinen’s comment that Congo Square is more a “patchwork than a fabric” is on point. I don’t agree but I think this a fair assesment of the work. I think Congo Square is the best long piece I know of Wynton’s; it demonstrates artistic maturity and Wynton’s continued evolution. There is also a depth of emotion in this work that I think is often missing in his work (unfortunately we can thank Katrina for this). However, I think the various transitions were relatively smooth in the context of the cultural and historical tension that existed at teh time. Re-membering (actually putting together peices to make sense of a whole) the moment accurately must necessarily acknowledge the legal and social tensions of the time. Slaves legal mobility was restricted, they congregated at great risk. Additonally, they were NOT a cohesive “fabirc” of people, there was great diversity in the cultures they represented. Hailing from various African countries, diasporic locations (the Sunday Market section Chinen notes is but one example of this in the work), and varied points within what became the US the music slaves must have created could not have been a cohesive “fabric” composed of a metaphorical single color. Yes, Mr. Chinen, a “patchwork” indeed…THAT’s the point. It is also the point that Wynton’s artistic vision (historic visions have this tendancy) forms the synthesis–it is conceived individually. I think Congo Square is his best extended work to date.
I rarely have “two cents” to contribute…this is my “nickle”!
JG
Jurzy Girl said
on May 8, 2006 @ 8:23 am
I don’t mean to confuse myself/anyone else…I think Chinen’s idea of “patchwork” misses the historical point of Congo Square. When I use Chinen’s idea of “patchwork” I mean to illiminate the value of Congo Square as a “pactchwork” rather than detract from it as I think Chinen does. I find his term useful (but not the best, yet I have no beter term right now) but think it belies the fact that patchworks are complete and that their “seams” are a necessary part of recognizing the beauty of the fabric.
JG
gloria said
on May 9, 2006 @ 6:30 am
I agree, J!! Don’t worry, you know how critics are! I’ve yet to hear one compose music or play a musical instrument with genuine facility! So why listen to them? We can hear the music and decide for ourselves without their “help.”
A tapestry of merging cultures is what Congo Square represented and what this new work represents. Also thought it was made clear from the composition how
jazz and blues directly developed from African drumming; an amazing feat to relay this message to a Congo Square audience of 2006! This was the best I’ve heard from LCJO and Wynton Marsalis. Every solo strong and the merger
of bands was nothing less than astonishing. Sat. nite performance in NYC was recorded live; can we hear any
of it soon, Luigi? There seemed to be unlimited nuances, rhythms, melodies, riffs and motifs in contrasting moods and flavors. G.
Sonalii said
on May 9, 2006 @ 9:15 am
Jurzy and Gloria,
Thank you for your “reviews” of Congo Square. After reading the NY Times piece, I was a bit put off by the negative undertone of the article, as if the critic were reaching to find fault with the piece. (Why doesn’t Ben Ratliff review Wynton’s work anymore? I appreciated his approach to Wynton’s work than the current critic Nate Chenin. I could only imagine the impact of this piece on its listeners when one considers the inspiration and story behind it. I would definitely love to hear this piece and hope it becomes a recording.
Sonalii
Danielle said
on May 9, 2006 @ 1:52 pm
Greetings!
The comments posted are all well received. Tapestry, pathchwork, or mosiac do not give justice to the dramatic and innovative elements of Congo Square. The cultural signifigance is the most important component that should be celebrated. Wynton has made it his mission to retell or speak for the lives of African slaves; America’s earliest displaced citizens of New Orleans. In other articles, Marsalis and Addy both spoke to the difficulties they experienced weaving the horn and drum sections together. Wynton further stressed the need in one article that the composition needed to be shorter.
Mr. Chenin comments are comments that people have expressed before. Some believe that Wynton’s music lacks emotion. Mr. Chenin commented directly to his ” sweeping ” movements of being Ellington-esque, as to say, “here we go again!” So he is basically saying, “why is this guy so great?”
Mr. Chenin knows why Wynton is great! Wynton is great because he is a teacher first. Wynton is a fundamental teacher of a genre to whom many have lost interest.
I am sure Mr. Chenin will be one of the first to congratulate Wynton and Addy come Grammy night! We all hate it when we are wrong.