Trumpeter
Wynton Marsalis' soundtrack to
Ken Burns' documentary Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson is a compelling and rootsy mix of blues and swing. Having worked with
Burns on the PBS "Jazz" series,
Marsalis'
Unforgivable Blackness soundtrack seems like a natural progression of a fruitful partnership. Not dissimilar to such past
Marsalis projects as the
Jelly Roll Morton album
Mr. Jelly Lord, the album features
Marsalis in various small-group settings along with such longtime
Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra regulars as drummer
Herlin Riley, pianist
Eric Lewis, saxophonist
Wessell Anderson, bassist
Reginald Veal, trombonist
Wycliffe Gordon, and others, including guitarist
Doug Wamble, who adds his unique blend of old-time blues, folk, and jazz to
Marsalis' own signature updating of '20s and '30s jazz. Although four previously released tracks appear here, two off Standard Time, Vol. 6: Mr. Jelly Lord and two from
Marsalis'
Reeltime, the majority of the album is newly recorded and all of it sounds of a piece. Ironically,
Marsalis' deepest musical influence and aesthetic nemesis, trumpeter
Miles Davis, also recorded an album for a film about the troubled boxing champ Johnson, 1970's fusion classic
Tribute to Jack Johnson. However, where
Davis' album seemed to reflect the counterculture and Black Power movements of the time,
Marsalis is more traditionally cinematic in his approach, with each track evoking the pride, urbanity, strength, and tragedy of the legendary Johnson. ~ Matt Collar