The shows turned out to be Willie performing with Wynton Marsalis and members of the JALC orchestra. For two nights Willie, Wynton and the gang grooved through jazz standards, blues classics and Willie's extensive repertoire. The shows were filled with a brand new take on songs one or both of these musicians had played hundreds, if not thousands of times. Luckily for those of us that missed it, Blue Note will be releasing an album recorded during this run, titled "Two Men with the Blues", on July 8th, 2008.
Now since I'm not part of the "Media Elite", I don't receive advance copies of CDs mailed to my door. Someday maybe, but for now I have to get by with the free samples available on the website like the rest of you. And based on the offerings there ("Bright Lights, Big City" and "Georgia on My Mind"), we are in for quite a treat. Wynton's band adds a touch of swing and New Orleans boogie to the songs that seems to lift them to new heights. From the get go, it is clear that this was one of those special events where the musicians and mood hit at the same time, leaving spontaneous renditions of classics songs that will be enjoyed for years to come. In a video on the site, Willie makes this comment:
"I think labels were invented to sell music. You had to know what to call it before you could sell it...But some music encompasses it all. So what do you call that? That's pretty much what I like to play."And that is an apt description of what you'll find in this CD. Music that draws from every corner of the American Musical Lexicon, and mixes these diverse styles into a new gumbo where New Orleans mingles with Nashville. A sublime marriage of the Big City and the Heartland. And these days, anything that crosses that divide is good for all of us.
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