Tune in to witf on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 9 p.m. for Live From Lincoln Center’s telecast of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Wynton Marsalis at 50.” Wynton Marsalis, joined by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, is sure to use to occasion of his 50th birthday to throw a celebration of jazz for the ages, revisiting some of his favorite compositions and arrangements while serving up some new ones. Special guests include tap dancer Jared Grimes, vocalist Gregory Porter, pianist Marcus Roberts, violinist Mark O’Connor, Yacub Addy & Odadaa! and Damien Sneed & Chorale Le Chateau.
Wynton Marsalis, Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center since the organization’s inception in 1987, is the most acclaimed jazz musician and composer of his generation and a distinguished classical performer who has brought jazz to center stage in American culture. Marsalis is the first jazz composer ever to earn a Pulitzer Prize for Symphony No. 3, Swing Symphony, a distinction that for five decades had been the exclusive domain of classical composers. This performance will allow the audience to experience the vast expanse of his musical vision and to celebrate his accomplishments over 50 years.
The 15-member Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO), composed of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today, has been the Jazz at Lincoln Center resident orchestra since 1987. Under the leadership of its music director, Wynton Marsalis, this versatile orchestra performs and leads educational events not only in New York but across the U.S. and around the world, touring more than four months annually. The JLCO appears with symphony orchestras, ballet companies, local students, and guest artists and brings its artistry to a wide variety of settings…from concert halls and jazz clubs to dance venues and parks. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, Chairman Lisa Schiff and Executive Director Adrian Ellis, Jazz at Lincoln Center produces thousands of performance, education and broadcast events for audiences of all ages each season in its home in New York City, Frederick P. Rose Hall, and around the world.
Live From Lincoln Center is in its 36th broadcast season. The series has received 13 Emmy Awards, including for the broadcast of New York City Opera’s Madama Butterfly. Produced by Lincoln Center’s John Goberman, this series has made the world’s greatest artists on Lincoln Center’s renowned stages accessible to home viewers in virtually every corner of the United States. It is the only series of live performing arts telecasts on American television today.
Preview this concert in the video below.
