Wynton Marsalis: A Composer’s Retrospective — Black Codes (From the Underground): Part III
The personnel of the Black Codes
In art and music, much gets made about the importance of the central figure, the singular mind behind the creation. In classical music the composer sits at the center. Their compositional and authorial intent is what matters above all else. It’s easy to take this mentality of the “auteur” composer and apply it to music such as jazz. Especially in the case of someone like Wynton Marsalis. But in playing up the “composer” in jazz, one often diminishes the collective effort of the band and the imprint each individual brings to the music.
Like many jazz bands before his, Wynton Marsalis’ music has always been personnel dependent. I would go as far to say that his compositional ear is shaped by the musicians at his disposal. His composition style changed drastically in the late 1980s when Herlin Riley joined the band in place of Jeff Watts. Just listen to the different in how Herlin Riley performs “Black Codes” vs. Jeff Watts in the original recording. All of this to say that when examining the music of Wynton Marsalis, it is imperative to also examine the contributions of the members of the band. In the case of Black Codes: Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Charnett Moffett, and Jeff Watts.
The Synergy of Wynton and Branford
One of the defining features of Wynton Marsalis’ early recordings is his relationship with his brother Branford. One of the reasons critics have felt it necessary to play the brothers off of one another has to do with the Yin and Yang like dichotomy they form as musicians. There is an anecdote that Branford gave me that I feel encapsulates their dynamic well.
I dragged Wynton along into the R&B thing for a little while, but he didn’t really appreciate it. But because I grew up playing R&B and playing in nightclubs, which was lucky because you couldn’t do that at the age we were, now. We were luckily born in the, 60s and we played in the 70s. And you start to develop this relationship and understanding with the energy that the audience has and how to manipulate that energy.
If you couldn’t and people weren’t dancing, you would lose your job. So it didn’t matter how good your band was.
