FWIW I don't dig that Wynton Vanguard set much, I never have, and in terms of standards, it's specifically the Wynton encores of "Cherokee" that sound remarkably personal to me. My Wynton pantheon is BLACK CODES, J MOOD, and encores/casual moments of "Cherokee." (Which is more entries into my pantheon than most get!)
Thanks so much for your comment! Your original Wynton essays and interview did a lot for my development from kneejerk Wynton-hater to a place of more nuanced (I hope!) appreciation of his career... I wanted to leave in your note about 'Cherokee' because I do think Wynton can express himself personally and powerfully, and even if my specific lens here doesn't make much room for that side of his career, I didn't want to ellipsis it out either -- if someone walks away from this piece thinking Wynton isn't worth checking out, I definitely failed in communicating my argument! (And while I love the Vanguard sets because of my personal history with them, I fully agree that Wynton's most immediate, rewarding music is found elsewhere.)
I agree that the music is often much more generous, at least until the mid-90s, than Wynton's statements were. And yet he was still making the statements! To ignore either is to miss something important, I think.
FWIW I don't dig that Wynton Vanguard set much, I never have, and in terms of standards, it's specifically the Wynton encores of "Cherokee" that sound remarkably personal to me. My Wynton pantheon is BLACK CODES, J MOOD, and encores/casual moments of "Cherokee." (Which is more entries into my pantheon than most get!)
Thanks so much for your comment! Your original Wynton essays and interview did a lot for my development from kneejerk Wynton-hater to a place of more nuanced (I hope!) appreciation of his career... I wanted to leave in your note about 'Cherokee' because I do think Wynton can express himself personally and powerfully, and even if my specific lens here doesn't make much room for that side of his career, I didn't want to ellipsis it out either -- if someone walks away from this piece thinking Wynton isn't worth checking out, I definitely failed in communicating my argument! (And while I love the Vanguard sets because of my personal history with them, I fully agree that Wynton's most immediate, rewarding music is found elsewhere.)
This was an interesting piece. Some years ago I reviewed all six of the Marsalis Standard Time albums; some I liked a whole lot, others not much. https://burningambulance.com/2019/04/30/marsalis-standard-time/
I agree that the music is often much more generous, at least until the mid-90s, than Wynton's statements were. And yet he was still making the statements! To ignore either is to miss something important, I think.
Thanks so much for your comment!