Album Notes
Personnel: Wynton Marsalis (conductor, trumpet); Wess Anderson (sopranino & alto saxophones, clarinet); Ted Nash (soprano & alto saxophones, flute); Victor Goines (soprano & tenor saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet); Sherman Irby (alto saxophone, clarinet); Stephen Riley (tenor saxophone); Gideon Feldstein (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet); Roger Ingram, Ryan Kisor, Russell Gunn, Jamil Sharif (trumpet); Wycliffe Gordon (trombone, tuba); Ron Westray, Wayne Goodman, Bob Trowers (trombone); Eric Reed, Eric Lewis (piano); Rodney Whitaker, Carlito Henriquez (bass); Herlin Riley, Jaz Sawyer (drums); Pernell Saturnino (congas, percussion); Stefon Harris (percussion).
SWEET RELEASE recorded at Music Hall, Tarrytown, New York on August 11, 1996.
GHOST STORY recorded at Rose Studio, Lincoln Center, New York, New York on December 7, 1998.
Includes liner notes by Stanley Crouch and Wynton Marsalis.
SWEET RELEASE & GHOST STORY is a collection of compositions written for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Zhongnei Dance, respectively. In creating the music for SWEET RELEASE, a ballet about a New Orleans romance, Wynton Marsalis clearly had Duke Ellington's orchestral work in mind. As with many of Marsalis's projects, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra provides a boisterous big band sound, playing as a tight collective unit while keeping solos to an appropriate minimum. Though the music is rooted in traditional American jazz, Marsalis adds a distinct Latin element to moments like the salsa-inflected "Church Basement: Party." In contrast to these upbeat rhythms, GHOST STORY features a much smaller ensemble and a wider variation of moods. Based on an ancient Chinese myth, the ballet features a magical, shape-shifting woman whose transformations are echoed by Marsalis's dynamic music. Quiet and meditative at times, then lively and immediate at others, these compositions are highlighted by the solid playing of saxophonist/flutist Ted Nash and pianist Eric Reed. Although it's a subtler affair than SWEET RELEASE, GHOST STORY is an equally expressive piece.