The Marciac Suite

Wynton Marsalis Septet | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: August 22, 2000
• Label: Columbia/Sony Classical
• Copyright: 1999 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
• Total Length: 1:16:32
• Genres:
• ASIN: B00138CYVG
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,996 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars !!! He Saved the Best for Last !!!, August 31, 2000

By 

"texasjones" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marciac Suite (Audio CD)

As a Francophile and longtime Wynton Marsalis fan, this cd was aural ambrosia and my favorite of the 'Swinging into the 21st Century Series.' I was fortunate enough to receive it in May as part of a Sony offer. Since then, it's been a mainstay in my cd player. The suite is a complex composition ranging from the upbeat to the romantic to much in between. As a tribute to the town of Marciac and its inhabitants, it seems to be a resounding success. Reading the liner notes and listening to the pieces, I feel as if I know something about this wonderful town in France - a must-see on my next trip there. If you've never listened to Wynton Marsalis, buy this cd. If you're like me and own everything that he's ever recorded, buy this cd. The beauty of Mr. Marsalis's magic will lighten your soul.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars blend of new orleans jazz and impressionism, September 1, 2003

By 

L (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marciac Suite (Audio CD)

This is a jazz CD involving Marsalis and his septet crew which he has had played with for many years. They have good chemistry together and play with a certain freshness that pervades every track. The New Orleans jazz style comes out in Loose Duck where dissonant chords and polyrhythmic sounds keep your attention. There were also tracks like Jean-Louis Is Everywhere which sounded like Claude Debussy, a light-airy harmony with an added jazz rhythm section which turn out to be a nice piece. Also notable is Sunflowers which is a piece that is in 5/4 time and yet sounds pretty natural and it brings forth feelings of spring and optimism. That particular song was a nice song to end the album.

There was no particular theme to the style of music played in this album but has just well composed and executed songs that would appeal to an ear craving for something different from the typical jazz tune. This album celebrates the freedom of creativity and self expression. This is one of Marsalis' best albums to date.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, nearly perfect, December 30, 2005

By 

Jonathan Boyce (Fairfied, CT) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Marciac Suite (Audio CD)

This album remains (after four years) one of my favorite in my 300+ collection of jazz and classical. I loved it at first hearing and I still do. It takes New Orleans Jazz and Ellington as it's base and creates something entirely new--thirteen beautifully composed and rendered pieces making up a "suite" of impressions of the French town of Marciac. These melodies will remain in your head as persistently as the scent of a dozen roses.

For those new to jazz or to Marsalis, buy this. It's like stepping outside into a warm spring day after a cold, hard winter. The sun, the birds, the sky, the breeze--they're all here and are just as enveloping. For parents: if you are trying to introduce your children to jazz (or to classical music in general) this is the CD to do it with. It's easily accessible and a very happy piece of music.

Serious jazz buffs will appreciate the tight playing of the septet and the coherance of the thirteen pieces. Nicely done.