LINCOLN CENTER

Rose Theater
The Fantastic Mr. Jelly Lord

"The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis kicks off our 30th season with a joyous celebration of New Orleans legend Jelly Roll Morton (1890–1941). Jazz’s first great composer, musical intellect, and piano virtuoso, Morton gave us the musical blueprint of an eternal New Orleans and jazz as we know it today. Through both classic and never-before-heard arrangements of essential tunes like "King Porter Stomp," "Jungle Blues," “Black Bottom Stomp,” and “The Pearls,” the JLCO will showcase the contemporary power and the depth of possibility in the earliest jazz.

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis kicks off our 30th season with a joyous celebration of New Orleans legend Jelly Roll Morton (1890–1941). Jazz's first great composer, musical intellect, and piano virtuoso, Morton gave us the musical blueprint of an eternal New Orleans and jazz as we know it today. Through both classic and never-before-heard arrangements of essential tunes like "King Porter Stomp," "Jungle Blues," "Black Bottom Stomp," and "The Pearls," the JLCO will showcase the contemporary power and the depth of possibility in the earliest jazz. The concepts found in these pieces have been explored by master musicians for the past century, and through the lens of Jelly Roll, you will hear that all jazz is truly modern. In addition to the JLCO's own resident pianist Dan Nimmer, this performance will feature the celebrated pianist Aaron Diehl,rising star Sullivan Fortner, and two promising young Juilliard jazz students from the Midwest and the West: Micah Thomas and Joel Wenhardt. Jelly Roll had to proclaim himself the "King of Jazz" in the early 20th century, but his genius stands the test of time. His music is earthy, sophisticated, and – most of all, fun – guaranteeing a raucous and festive opening weekend in Rose Theater. Welcome back to the House of Swing!

This concert has been chosen as one of our 30th anniversary landmark performances because of the huge influence Jelly Roll Morton has had not just on the development and evolution of jazz, but on Jazz at Lincoln Center itself. Along with Armstrong, Monk, and Ellington, Jelly Roll is among the most performed and celebrated artists at Jazz at Lincoln Center, including in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s 1996 tour, Morton, Monk, Marsalis. Morton was also one of the first inductees into the Ertugen Jazz Hall of Fame in 2004."