Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s latest three-day Barbican residency was suffused with Ellingtonian touches. The opening night combined the JLCO Youth Orchestra with the Guildhall’s Ellington-flavoured band, and the young musicians’ frightening maturity was in evidence in the Charlie Parker Combo that played the free stage the following evening. The second night opened with JLCO capturing the lush sonics and bittersweet complexity of the Ellington canon with a short set of his better-known work.Ellington’s genius lay in transforming the cadences of popular song into music of substance, and in compressing complex narratives into the timespan of a 78. JLCO captured the sensuous curves and urbane intelligence of that music with discipline and panache. Their short opening set began with “The Mooche”, a work of slinky complexity from the 1920s, and continued by bringing “Harlem Airshaft” and “Concerto for Cootie” vibrantly to life. Chris Crenshaw’s guttural dynamics on trombone stood out and trumpeter Ryan Kisor’s solo added a personal touch. “Big Fat Alice’s Blues” was the closer, a standout feature for Sherman Irby’s smoky alto sax.Those rich voicings would surface periodically in the second night’s showpiece: trumpeter/director Wynton Marsalis’s Fourth Symphony, The Jungle. This restless, detailed blend of classical modernism and jazz was artfully designed to depict the high-pressure volatility of life in New York, and was delivered magisterially by the combined might of JLCO and a full-strength London Symphony Orchestra.The Jungle takes established modernist practices from classical music and jazz, stirs the pot, turns up the heat and cooks up something fresh. This performance, conducted by Antonio Pappano, confidently negotiated the twists, turns and sharp-edged juxtapositions of Marsalis’s hour-long symphony. The six-movement composition began with a screech of dissonance that tapered into a sweet-toned chord and ended with a fade of growling muted trumpet and strings.As the piece progressed, a platoon of riffing double basses surged forth, and sharp-edged brass interjected, along with romantic interludes that hovered close to pastiche. First-nation sorrows and homelessness were alluded to, and the fourth movement, “La Esquina”, progressed with a Latin American pulse. As each piece zigzagged from orchestral might through short bursts of improvised jazz to a single whispered trombone, the blend of the two orchestras was complete. And for all the chop-and-change and sonic shifts, the score cohered impressively. The final part, “Struggle in the Digital Market”, moved from raucous cacophony to sombre ragtime and ended with Marsalis on trumpet, plunger mute at the ready, grumbling over a quiet undertow of shimmering strings. ★★★★☆The first half of the final night of the residency presented Marsalis’s The Democracy! Suite, which was conceived during lockdown and written for the JLCO septet. Modal modernism and traditional jazz practices were combined, the pulse was springy and ensemble discipline exemplary. Among the fresh faces featured, Alexa Tarantino’s flute solo stood out. The second half found the full orchestra flexing its ensemble muscles and raising the roof with a set of detail-packed original compositions and arrangements by members of the band. Rich Ellingtonian textures surfaced from the reeds, as did the rhythms of New Orleans R&B. The brass slurred and moaned, and modernist virtuosity was juxtaposed with silky textures. “Jo Jo’s Mojo”, written by trumpeter Marcus Printup, was a raucous opener, “Bodegas Groove” sashayed into Latin boogaloo and Vincent Gardner’s transcendent orchestration of Monk’s “Light Blue” delivered layered textures and knockout piano from Isaiah J Thompson. After a long ovation, the encore introduced three young guests for a small-group romp through “Tenor Madness”, a warhorse Sonny Rollins blues. Marsalis was imperious, the tenor sax joust peaked, but it was guest pianist Joe Webb’s dazzling mix of ragtime stomp and modernist lines that stood out for its original flair. ★★★★☆barbican.org.uk
