Jazz festival web site

Well, the site for the 2010 Atlanta Jazz Festival is up here. That's really all that can be said because there's nearly no information about the festival itself on the site.

Jazz fest update on ArtsCriticATL

Today I spoke with Nnena Nchege at the Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs about the 2010 Atlanta Jazz Festival's return to Piedmont Park. Our conversation can be found at ArtsCriticATL.

Here's the money quote:

"We are ecstatic that we get to be back in Piedmont Park," she said. "We are working very hard to roll out a festival that is of the same quality that we've always done."

Maralis symphony review on ArtsCriticATL

My review of Thursday night's ASO concert and the performance of five movements from Wynton Marsalis' new symphony can be found at ArtsCriticATL. Marsalis' composition has a lot of good ideas, but there are simply too many thoughts swirling around in each movement. Here's the tail end of the review, which sums up my feelings on the work:

"In the accompanying program notes, Marsalis wrote that he is a self-taught orchestral composer. 'I tend to use my natural hearing and love of what the various instruments like to do and can do to guide my process,' he continued. This compositional outlook produces what sounds like rough sketches of sometimes very good music that simply lacks cohesion.

The trumpeter has some work to do before his vision is fully realized, but with a careful editing eye, 'Blues Symphony' might turn into a very satisfying genre-bending piece."

Blues Symphony postponed once more

Wynton Marsalis and the ASO in November. (Frank Stewart)

The latest somewhat surprising but not really surprising news: the full premiere of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis' seven-movement Blues Symphony, a co-commission with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has been delayed again. The ASO will perform movements II-VI at the King Celebration Concert tomorrow at Morehouse College. Movements III and IV were performed in November at symphony hall.

When asked when the full premiere will take place, Laura Soldati, a press person for the ASO, said, "I have no news on that yet."

I've been following this story since it was announced way back in ... what was it? ... early 2008? ... that Wynton Marsalis would be premiering an all-symphonic work with the ASO. First it was called American Symphony, and it was six movements, then it expanded to seven and was dubbed Blues Symphony. Marsalis and the ASO have now postponed the premiere of the full work four times; each postponement (especially the last one) was followed by fresh stories and Internet comments. The multiple changes in this dizzying saga have been recorded here and here. These delays are somewhat maddening, but I'll still be in the audience tomorrow night to see how the piece is shaping up.

A King Celebration Concert. Thursday; 8 p.m. King International Chapel, Morehouse College. $25.

Live at Churchill Grounds

I just put the finishing touches on the liner notes for trumpeter Joe Gransden's forthcoming CD, Live at Churchill Grounds. This is Joe's second release for Hot Shoe Records and features a combination of members from his first band in Atlanta and his current group. Those of you who were at Churchill Grounds June 19 and 20 might even be able to hear your own clap on the disc, which should be ready for release in January.

Carla Bley! Jazz Legacy Productions!

Check out the December issue of Downbeat for stories about Carla Bley's superb new Christmas album, Carla's Christmas Carols, and an examination of Jazz Legacy Productions, a new label founded by bassist John Lee.

Wynton's missed deadline (again)

Breaking news via artscriticATL: Wynton's performance of Blues Symphony has been postponed for the third time. Instead of debuting the hour-long work on Nov. 19 at 8 p.m., the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will instead play the first two movements of the piece. The full shebang will be performed at Morehouse College on January 14. No word on refunds.