Popular Songs: The Best of Wynton Marsalis [Bonus Track]

by Wynton Marsalis

Overview

Oh, the delicious irony of the title! Because, as you educated and erudite readers know, Mr. Wynton Marsalis is not fond at all of popular music, so the very fact that there are popular tunes within his catalog is nearly anathema to his aesthetic. But, given his stature as an ambassador of jazz (for the record, I once considered myself the ambassador of techno, but then I realized that anyone who considers the Stones the greatest band ever should graciously defer that title), and given the prominence of his role in Ken Burns' Jazz, there was a need for a sampler like this record, and hence the appearance of Popular Songs: The Best of Wynton Marsalis in the summer of 2001. Marsalis has recorded a lot of music -- and I mean a lot of music -- for Columbia. It's inevitable that the selections here are open for dispute, but it's still a little puzzling that much of this album bypasses the music that brought him to the spotlight (only "Black Codes" is here from his early-'80s albums), favoring the endless Standard Time series. This is accessible, enjoyable music -- there's a reason Marsalis coined these as standards -- and, as such, it's good for listeners who want a sampling of Marsalis at his easiest and most enjoyable, but it's hardly a definitive, or even representative, retrospective of Marsalis' career. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	07/31/2001
Label:	Bmg / Sony Music Entertainment
UPC:	0886977048326

Tracks

1. Jig's Jig
2. Root Groove
3. I Got Lost in Her Arms
4. Where or When
5. Cherokee
6. Black Codes
7. Double Rondo on the River (Pedro's Getaway)
8. Down Home with Homey
9. Sunflowers
10. Invitation
11. The End of a Love Affair
12. Soon All Will Know

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Wynton Marsalis   Primary Artist,Trumpet,Conductor
Wynton Marsalis Septet   Primary Artist
Harry "Sweets" Edison   Guest Artist,Trumpet
Marcus Roberts   Guest Artist,Piano
Ellis Marsalis   Guest Artist,Piano
Eric Reed   Guest Artist
Branford Marsalis   Guest Artist,Sax (Soprano)
Kenny Kirkland   Piano
Kent Jordan   Flute,Piccolo
Charnett Moffett   Bass
Ben Wolfe   Bass
Victor Goines   Clarinet,Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano)
Robert Freedman   Conductor
Todd Williams   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano)
Jeff "Tain" Watts   Drums
Ron Westray   Trombone
Rodney Whitaker   Bass
Wessell Anderson   Sax (Alto),Sax (Soprano)
Lewis Nash   Drums
Reginald Veal   Bass
Herlin Riley   Drums
Marcus Printup   Trumpet

Technical Credits

Ray Noble   Composer
Irving Berlin   Composer
Edward Redding   Composer
Lorenz Hart   Composer
Delfeayo Marsalis   Producer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Frank Stewart   Photography
Wynton Marsalis   Composer,Producer
Howard Fritzson   Art Direction
Lee Crum   Photography
Robert Freedman   Arranger
Risa Zaitschek Noah   Design
Janush Kawa   Cover Art
Nedra Olds-Neal   Compilation Producer
Mark Wilder   Mastering
Bronislaw Kaper   Composer
Seth Foster   Mastering
Stanley Crouch   Liner Notes