What to Expect

• Two acclaimed JLCO originals that showcase the band’s range, not only as virtuosic musicians, but as world-class composers as well
• An upbeat trip to the Jazz Age of the 1920s courtesy of Victor Goines
• Chris Crenshaw’s eclectic, gospel-inflected suite based on a book of poems about African American church sermons
• Free pre-concert discussion about the music and artists at 7pm

Tonight the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis will revisit two of its most acclaimed originals: Victor Goines' Untamed Elegance and Chris Crenshaw’s God’s Trombones. Each of these suites highlights the ensemble’s boundless creativity, commitment to artistic vision, and the peerless musical range of its individual members.

The show begins with Untamed Elegance, a thoroughly modern trip to the wild and sophisticated Jazz Age of the 1920s. This upbeat, soulful, and characteristically swinging composition reminds us that even the earliest jazz styles are deep, living traditions that continue to inspire awe and delight.

God’s Trombones has been a huge hit with audiences since it premiered in 2012. This epic suite takes inspiration from James Weldon Johnson’s 1927 book of poems, God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse. Through seven distinctive movements, Crenshaw utilizes the full power and range of the JLCO—as well as his own amazing voice— to bring these poems to life on a stage built for music.