by Kevin McLaughlin
On April 29, the world will celebrate Duke Ellington’s musical mastery on the 125th anniversary of his birth. A sophisticated giant of American music, Ellington wrote and performed as leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 until his death in 1974.
It was a double privilege, then, to experience the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis in EJ Thomas Hall on Saturday, April 20. First, to hear the JLCO again in Akron “after forty years” (according to Marsalis), and second, to hear this ensemble perform the Ellington book at the very highest level of technical skill and as mindful stewards of jazz tradition.
I had no idea how wonderful a jazz orchestra would sound in Severance Hall! With discreet miking and an excellent speaker system, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis produced tremendously vivid music which the hall supported and enriched just as it does with Mozart and Mahler. Even the visuals seemed to converge: the ornate 1920s Art Deco roulades of the ceiling were perfectly matched by the intricate roulades of the extended solo improvisations.