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'Jazz at Lincoln Cel'!ter Orchestra and artistic director/trumpeter Wynton Marsa_lis will play at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.
Wynton brings Lincoln Center jazz orchestra to Vancouver STUART DERDEYN
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THE PROVINCE
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Founded in 1988 by artistic direc tor, trwnpeter/composer Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Cen ter Orchestra is one of the finesf jazz big bands in the world today. The 15-piece ensemble is respected for its exceptional per formances oftheworks of such jazz orchestra greats as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Fletcher Hender son as well as being a vehicle for adaptations·of other classics and new commissions. Based out ofNewYork City's Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) arts com plex, the group runs many educa tional initiatives. Tenor saxophonist Victor Goines plays in both the orchestra and the Wynton Marsalis Septet, and asswnes the spokesman roll when the boss can't make the call. "Having a place like Jazz at Lin-
In concert
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Where: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, 6265 Crescent Rd. When: Saturday, 8 p.m. Tickets: Ticketmaster.ca
coin Center for this music is something so special it's hard to describe;' Goines says. "The members come from all across the country to the Mecca for the music that is New York City, and this becomes a focal point for them because it is such a renowned and well-run organization. I'm at a loss for words to describe how
well things are set up for us well in advance of tours:' Featuring three different venues, the JALC arts complex often hosts orchestra members in different configurations. Goines has per formed his small group commis sions there and sat in with com bos drawn from New York City's vibrant community of players. The orchestra is a different animal. "Anytime we come back togeth er after a break, we're back on u;• Goines explains. "Somewhere in the tour, we might get ti.red. Usu l!IIY key members or Wynton won't hesitate to tell us to get back to work. It's always so high quality:' The upcoming Vancouver show is the Music of Blue Note, which Goines says that the jazz orchestra has done a few times covering art ists as varied as vibraphonist Bob by Hutcherson to pianist Horace Silver. Drawing from jazz's rich legacy
is part of the orchestra's mandate. It regularly features new com missions from Marsalis and oth er composers. Key to it all is that the music be true to the freewheel ing marvel of musical democracy that is jazz. "They've been trying to kill jazz off for years," he says. "But the music seems as alive and vigor ous as ever. There are certainly a wealth of talented players and places all over the world to sh.ow case at:' Key to the continued health is the reversal of what Goines calls the "tragic" decline in music pro grams. As a former mathematics teach er, he says you should never take for granted thejmportance of how music makes your mind and your relationships work: "It makes bet ter people and better lives:' sderdeyn@theprovince.com Twitter.com/StuartDerdeyn