Arts & Entertainment
Wynton Marsalis Explains the Riff on Martha's Vineyard
When Wynton Marsalis brought his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to Martha's Vineyard last week, an all-ages audience listened and laughed as the trumpeter led his group in an hour-long exploration of the music of Duke Ellington.
Jazz great Wynton Marsalis may just be the best celebrity teacher of music for young people since Leonard Bernstein.
When Marsalis brought his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to Martha's Vineyard Regional High School last Friday, an all-ages audience listened and laughed as the multiple Grammy-winning trumpeter led his group in an hour-long exploration of the music of Duke Ellington.
Marsalis had his listeners in stitches when he explained the concept of the "riff" — a repeated musical statement — by reciting a series of parental commands.
"'Don't make me come back there!' That's called a riff," Marsalis said, before demonstrating the musical version with an excerpt from "When the Saints Go Marching In."
The Friday-morning concert was free to children 18 and younger, with a ticket price of $20 for older folks. Marsalis and the JLCO also played the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs Saturday night.
Did you attend the concert? How did you like it? Tell us in the comments.
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