Marsalis to lead Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at MSU Riley Center
Superstar trumpeter Wynton Marsalis will lead the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, today’s finest jazz ensemble, in a very special evening of education, elegance, and wonderful music at the MSU Riley Center on Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Marsalis, the strikingly gifted trumpeter who has won multiple Grammy Awards for both classical and jazz recordings, helped found the jazz program at New York’s prestigious Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. He is music director of the 15-piece orchestra.
From his seat in the trumpet section, he offers commentaries about the pieces the orchestra plays, delivered with insight, deep knowledge of jazz history and sly humor. The nattily attired band’s vast repertoire ranges from classic hits by giants of the past to newly commissioned works by today’s top composers.
“Jazz for Marsalis and company is about entertaining, yes,” wrote concert reviewer Peter Hum in the Ottawa Citizen, “but also about spreading the gospel about jazz’s virtues, of which improvising, swinging and its blues foundation are central.”
Tickets are $65 and $59 at the MSU Riley Center Box Office, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets can be purchased online at www.msurileycenter.com or by calling the box office at (601) 696-2200.
