Jazz at Lincoln Center

The Songs We Love
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Thu-Sat, Mar 29-31, 8pm
Rose Theater

They are arranged to perfection—"April in Paris" arranged by Wild Bill Davis, and many more—and they're our life soundtracks, elevating the everyday, making the mundane magical. The JLCO with Wynton Marsalis plays some of the greatest arrangements of our favorite songs—swinging and supple, sophisticated and spirited—and remind us all over again how great music becomes legendary.

The Songs we Love does not include any "Songs". They are all instrumental arrangements. This may not seem important, but my "tone deafness" means that I only appreciate the words - sort of like poetry. I really can't recognize or appreciate music alone. That being said, this was quite good, with lots of horn solos that reflect the virtuosity of the musicians.

I've been trying to come up with a metaphor that would help explain my musical limitations. It's not that I can't hear the music, not all the tones sound alike. In fact, I find some of the phrased quite beautiful. It's just that it doesn't connect for me in any way. I can't tell one song from another unless I hear the words. The best parallel I can think of is Chinese Calligraphy. The characters may be quite beautiful as art, but they don't have any meaning unless you speak the language. As a result, the characters just seem to blend together.