Jazz comes first, says Marsalis

Press, 18 March 1988, Page 7

Jazz comes first, says Marsalis

By

KAY FORRESTER

in Wellington Wynton Marsalis is a serious young man. The title of jazz musician of the decade, bestowed on him by music critics, seems to weigh heavily on the trumpeter from New Orleans. He insists that he is a jazz musician who also plays classical, definitely not the other way round. This is in spite of playing with the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra at 14, studying at the Juilliard School in New York and being guest solist with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Mexico City Symphony. Marsalis, son of the jazz pianist, Ellis Marsalis, adopted the study of classical music to prove it was not the bogy many non-classical musicians thought. In 1983 the release of his second jazz album coincided with a recording of trumpet concertos by Haydn, Hummel and Leopold Mozart. Both albums won Grammy awards in their categories the next year. Now, Marsalis says, he does not play much classical. ' "I (don’t have the time. Each takes practice to keep the technique up and I found I couldn’t do jazz and classical. I had to focus on one — that’s jazz. I really hate those people who ( say they play all music. Man, you can’t do that. Each is a world in itself.” ( |' Marsalis is a musician much aware of the tradition in which he plays. So he is happy to play and record jazz standards and some of hiisl own compositions.

“You don’t get to be innovative I overnight. It takes a lot of work and study. The best musicians are those with a historical knowlege of their music, with the basis and the

fundamentals to build on.” Marsalis says he is still learning about his music. “What I want to do is a long way down the track, man. What I’m doing now is good. I’m building.” He has much! respect for his musical elders. “My music is something I have Ito learn about. Where I came from not many people were interested so now I have to go . back and learn the things I should have learnt. ( “I| can learn those things from the great jazz musicians.” I Marsalis says he is now more careful about what he says of other musicians and their work. I

“I still | think those things, but, hey, you know, now l l don’t waste my time saying (them. What is, is and Iwhat I say won’t change ( it. I What I can change (is wjiat I do, and I focus on that.”

Marsalis lis happy to talk to people about his music. That is what sets him apart, he says. “My private life is private. You bould talk to anyone about those things. It is music people want to talk to me (about.” Marsalis’s visit to New Zealand wqs( (for a single concert at the Wellington International Festival of the Arts last evening. His concert was sold out some weeks ago.