Wynton Marsalis Septet - Blue Interlude

2007 CD reissue.

This CD, the last by the Wynton Marsalis Septet to feature Marcus Roberts on piano throughout, pivots around the title piece, which is subtitled “The Bittersweet Saga of Sugar Cane and Sweetie Pie.” This work is Wynton’s first extended composition on record. In an introductory monologue peppered with the wry humor and insight that characterize so much of his music, Wynton remarks that the story of the mythic lovers Sugar Cane and Sweetie Pie is about “two people becoming one very delicious slice of spirit, but never losing the things that make them individual.” Sound like a formula for the best sort of jazz swing and improvisation? Indeed it is. The musicians pursue it here, in Wynton’s words, through “the sidetracks and backstreets along which emotion travels.”