Wynton Marsalis - Black Codes (From The Underground) (1985)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

This album is not only my favorite Wynton Marsalis album, it is one of my favorite jazz albums. 23-year-old Marsalis and the other members of the "Young Lion" movement were revisiting the sounds of 1950s-era Miles Davis in a style dubbed acoustic neo-bop. Marsalis' band here includes his brother Branford, Kenny Kirkland, Jeff Watts, and Charnett Moffett and they sound a bit like the famous Davis line-up that included Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, and Ron Carter. Of course, I, as a 19-year-old listener had no idea of the historical precedent, I just knew that I liked the music. I have to admit that my love from this album may stem from the fact that I listened to it at a very impressionable age and idolized Marsalis as a young college music major (see below). The writing and playing here contradicts the ages of all involved.

Reviews/ratings:

• CashBox: "a solid, uncompromising effort"
• Billboard: "both compelling and accessible"
• High Fidelity: "Not songs to fall in love with quickly, but meaty thematic material for this apparently ravenous crew"
• Spin: "mostly middle-period-Miles-sounding"
• Musician: "Far and away Marsalis' finest album"
• Downbeat: ★★★★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★½
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #118
• Billboard Jazz: #2
• Billboard Pop CD: #30
• CashBox: #101
• CashBox Jazz: #1

Tracks: I'm a fan of all of them because they swing. My favorite track may be the final cut, simply entitled Blues which features only Marsalis and bassist Moffett.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My LP copy of this album got a lot of playing time in my dorm room during my sophomore year in college. I wanted to be a jazz trumpet player badly, but I was such a mediocre player that even if I had practiced 10 hours a day, I still would have been a below-average jazzer. Nonetheless, that didn't stop me from trying as I transcribed solos from this CD and played along with Jamey Aebersold albums. I don't remember a specific moment when I gave up on playing jazz, I guess my foci just slowly shifted to other interests. However, giving up on playing jazz has never deterred me from enjoying jazz.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Two Men with the Blues (2008)
Standard Time, Vol. 4: Marsalis Plays Monk (1999)
Joe Cool's Blues (1995)
Uptown Ruler: Soul Gestures in Southern Blue, Vol. 2 (1991)
The Original Soundtrack From Tune In Tomorrow... (1990)
Crescent City Christmas Card (1989)
Baroque Music for Trumpets (1988)
J Mood (1986)
Trumpet Concertos (1983)