Wynton Marsalis, who in 1988 released an album called The Majesty of the Blues, is set to perform a series of shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center with blues-rock guitar legend Eric Clapton. The two will come together for three concerts, with the first performance as part of that esteemed organization’s Annual Gala event on April 7. For those who can’t afford the four-figure Gala prices, set for fundraising purposes, the subsequent performances on April 8 and April 9 are open to the general public, though tickets won’t go on sale for the general public until February 12. Jazz at Lincoln Center subscribers and members can purchase tickets by advance sale on January 24. The concerts are sponsored by MasterCard, who will run an exclusive advance ticket sale beginning January 28.
In a press release received at JT, it was written that the two “will perform blues classics which may include tunes by Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and Howlin’ Wolf.” For these concerts, Clapton and Marsalis will be joined by Marcus Printup (trumpet), Chris Crenshaw (trombone), Victor Goines (clarinet), Jonathan Batiste (piano), Carlos Henriquez (bass), Ali Jackson (drums) and Don Vappie (banjo). The concerts will also include a solo performance by another blues legend Taj Mahal.
Although the pairing of these two musical titans may seem somewhat unlikely to many jazz and blues fans, in fact this is not the first time they’ve played together. Clapton and Marsalis first collaborated for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2003 gala, and most recently, Marsalis appeared on Clapton’s 2010 CD, Clapton. So there.
For more information about this show and others at Jazz at Lincoln Center, you can go to their website.
