Personnel: Wynton Marsalis (trumpet); Marcus Roberts (piano); Robert Leslie Hurst III (bass); Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums).
Recorded at RCA Studio A, New York, New York on May 29 & 30 and September 24 & 25, 1986. Includes liner notes by Stanley Crouch.
The first in a series, in which Marsalis re-investigates the jazz standards that many of his generation have, for one reason or another, rejected. The classic tunes that were part of the "songbooks" of all the great improvisers of the tradition--Charlie Parker, Art Blakey, Clark Terry, Max Roach--are here, and Marsalis and Co. carry on the tradition of making these tunes their own. He wails "Cherokee" while paying tribute to the style and influence of Dizzy Gillespie with a rapid-fire muted sound. "Goodbye" and "New Orleans" look to the sound of early-'60s Miles Davis.
Marcus Roberts is a joy to hear. His piano playing draws influence from Monk and Bill Evans, and he executes his carefully-chosen notes and phrases with perfect, no-excess flair. None of this comes off as imitation, but rather shows contemporary players continuing a great tradition. Marsalis uses this album to focus on, and pay tribute to, the standards and styles that formed the foundations for this superior American art form.
