Poster portrait of a man playing the trumpet
Composer and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis wrote his 'Blues Symphony' in 2009. Now, a new recording was released by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jader Bignamini.
Piper Ferguson
New Classical Tracks®

Detroit Symphony Orchestra presents Wynton Marsalis' 'Blues Symphony'

New Classical Tracks (extended interview): Wynton Marsalis
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New Classical Tracks - Wynton Marsalis

Detroit Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jader Bignamini: Wynton Marsalis’s “Blues Symphony” (Pentatone)

“All of my pieces are long,” says trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis. “And you got to imagine that's what made it much worse when it sounded so bad. It was a lot of it. So, it was like, ‘Damn, this is terrible, and there's a lot of this to go.’”

That’s Marsalis’ honest assessment of what his Blues Symphony sounded like in its early stages. After several revisions, he’s thrilled with the outcome on a new recording featuring Music Director Jader Bignamini and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Find out more on New Classical Tracks with host Julie Amacher.

Resources

  • Detroit Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jader Bignamini: Wynton Marsalis’s “Blues Symphony” (Pentatone)

  • Detroit Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jader Bignamini: Wynton Marsalis’s “Blues Symphony” (Amazon)

  • Detroit Symphony Orchestra (official site)

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