Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra & Wynton Marsalis - The Fifties: A Prism (2020) [Hi-Res]

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is set to release another masterpiece. This time it’s Christopher Crenshaw’s The Fifties: A Prism, via Blue Engine Records, slated to release May 1.

“All jazz is modern,” says Wynton Marsalis, referring to the ’50s, when modern jazz evolved to include modal, hard bop, third stream, and a host of other stylistic forms, as innovators such as Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, and Ornette Coleman demonstrated their sonic prowess and creativity.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s trombonist Christopher Crenshaw, inspired by the sounds of the ’50s, created The Fifties: A Prism.
“When I was presented with the idea of coming up with a suite dealing with the 1950s, I immediately realized this was going to cover all the genres of jazz, from bebop to freedom music,” explains Crenshaw.

Recorded live at The House of Swing by the JLCO with Wynton Marsalis in February 2017, the Chicago Tribune’s Howard Reich was there and wrote, “The evening’s tour de force came from the vivid imagination of trombonist-composer Chris Crenshaw, whose ‘Pursuit of the New Thing’ was drawn from his aptly named suite, ‘The Fifties — A Prism.’ Each movement of the work illuminates a particular sound of that fertile decade in American music, the ‘New Thing’ finale addressing the innovations of alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman.”

Encompassing six-tracks, the album begins with “Flipped His Lid,” opening on chugging big band horns flowing into a bright melody fusing brass textures into vivid washes of color held together by a fat running bassline.

Entry points on the album include “Just A-Slidin’,” featuring a rumbling trombone riding a sparkling piano supported by a tasty sidestick snare and popping bassline. A low-slung trumpet burbles and cajoles with delicious effect.

“Cha-Cha Toda la Noche” travels on a sensuous Latin rhythm topped by vibrant tones from the brass section, interweaving with oozing timbres. This song definitely gets your hips moving to the music. “Pursuit of The New Thing” delivers blatting textures segueing into a gooey, sinuous melody chock-full of trembling suffusions and lustrous hues.

Christopher Crenshaw’s The Fifties: A Prism provides cool, inventive jazz music covering the variety of styles commenced during the heady 1950s.