Wynton Marsalis – Live At the House of Tribes – Blue Note

by | Oct 21, 2006 | Jazz CD Reviews | 0 comments

Wynton Marsalis –  Live at the House of Tribes – Blue Note 77132,   67:06  2005  ****1/2:

(Wynton Marsalis, trumpet; Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson, alto sax; Eric Lewis, piano; Kengo Nakamura, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums; Orlando Rodriguez, percussion)

Wynton Marsalis has been a lightning rod in the jazz community. Outspoken to a fault, Wynton has never been shy about his opinions on other artists, i.e. Miles Davis; and how jazz history should be viewed. He has been prolific both in his group recordings and as the leader of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, probably the only full- time touring jazz orchestra today.

Wyntons’ best recordings have always been live where he can feed off both his band’s energy and that of an energetic audience. Marsalis has found a new energy and vibrancy in his group recordings for his new label, the venerable Blue Note Records. In his latest Blue Note release, Live at the House of Tribes, recorded in 2002, he does not disappoint.

The palpable energy begins in earnest on the opening track, Green Chimneys, which is driven mightily by Wynton and pianist, Eric Lewis. The versatile New York based drummer, Joe Farnsworth, also makes his presence felt immediately. On Just Friends, the mood is mellower, with Wynton strutting his stuff before the appreciative hometown crowd at the House of Tribes, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The club is small but the acoustics are mighty fine. It may be the smallest type of club that Marsalis plays and he seems to relish the community type space as a pleasant respite from playing with bigger bands in large auditorium settings. The warm intimate feeling of the club can be heard on bassist Nakamura’s solo on Just Friends, where exhortations from the crowd are heard spurring the bassist on.

The ballad, You Don’t Know What Love Is, is handled tenderly in Wynton’s solo, bringing to mind Clifford Brown in tone and timbre. Warmdaddy’s Anderson’s alto solo is so soulful that you can easily see how appropriate his nickname is. Charlie Parker’s Donna Lee is taken at a Birdlike pace with rapid fire bop lines thrown down by Marsalis with Anderson and Farnsworth keeping pace. A cool reading of Cole Porter’s What is this Thing Called Love allows listeners to catch their breath, and their call and response to Wynton’s solo spurs him on to growl back at the crowd with his trumpet.

The New Orleans classic, Second Line, also known as Joe Avery’s Blues, complete with Robert Rucker’s tambourine, brings the proceedings to a joyful conclusion. For intimate Marsalis, this CD can’t be beat!

Tracklist: Green Chimneys, Just Friends, You Don’t Know What Love Is, Donna Lee, What is This Thing Called Love, 2nd Line

– Jeff Krow

 

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