Wynton Marsalis: Live at the House of Tribes

One of the upsides to working by yourself for an entire summer is that it can give you ample time to become acquainted with your music collection. Anyone who has seen my collection will tell you I may actually have more than I know what to do with. My newfound favorite for the moment is Wynton Marsalis - "Live at the House of Tribes".

I feel like this album really captures more than a live performance, it captures the atmosphere of the live performance. Some live albums have crowd noise, witty stage banter, false starts and extended solos to distinguish them from "studio" recordings. On House of Tribes you can hear glasses clinking, people coughing, the stomping of feet, grunts of approval and even some less than perfect moments from the band. All of these things make the album very "real".

Every track on this album is good, but the one that really stands out to me is the second cut, "Just Friends". This is a great example of how a band can swing in the pocket but still have a modern edge to it. Wynton uses his impeccable sense of time to weave in and out of the prescribed harmony. Wess Anderson also demonstrates why he is one of the best alto men around by playing warm melodic lines combined with bursts of fire.

Another track on the album that will surely grab the listener is "Donna Lee" This may be the fastest and cleanest version of this bee bop classic that I have ever heard. If nothing else this is a very impressive bit of trumpet playing. There is also some outstanding trading going on between the sax and drums. At one point they actually are trading single bars at over 300 beats per minute!

Bottom Line: If you are looking for an album that is reminiscent of the Art Blakey and Clifford Brown "Live at Birdland" recordings this one is for you. If you should happen to listen to this disc and decide "I really like this!" then check out a few of the following...

Miles Davis complete concerts "My Funny Valentine/Four and More"
Art Blakey Quintet "Live at Birdland" (features Clifford Brown on Trumpet)
Wynton Marsalis "Live at Blues Alley"
Dexter Gordon "Homecoming" (Featuring Woody Shaw on Trumpet"