The Daily Iowan

Jazz oratorio finally sees light of day

After missing its initial release date by three months, Wynton Marsalis' revolutionary Blood on the Fields has arrived in stores.

By Kevin Ho The Daily Iowan

The long-awaited jazz oratorio Blood on the Fields by renowned jazz and classical trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is about to hit store shelves three months late.

Marsalis said the three-hour oratorio is supposed to document the journey and subsequent lives of two African slaves, Jesse and Leona. Marsalis said writing and approaching the topic of slavery was a profound experience for him during a February lecture titled "Redemption Through Sacrifice: The Legacy of American Slavery" at Washington University in St. Louis.

"It's a battle between the tender energy vs. the resentment energy of people," he said. "How can you express this in words?" Marsalis chose to express this conflict through music and this sense of struggle, hatred, fear and a slew of other emotions are conveyed by such movements of the oratorio as "My Soul Fell Down" and the moving "Forty Lashes."

Jesse and Leona's initial hatred and fear of each other is gradually replaced by feelings of love and reconciliaton as the two deal with their lives as slaves, Marsalis said. "Applied to modern society," he said, "This story tells you to find what is at the center of you. It gives you optimism that you can use to overcome tragedy, to overcome the wailing."

The musicianship of Marsalis as a conductor and his Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra is clearly demonstrated in Blood on the Fields. The work is divided into 21 sections with various types of music in each. From a spectacular cast including three vocalists, a violinist and Marsalis himself on trumpet, listeners will experience some of the most technically superior and moving music that has ever been called jazz.

Granted, the first segment of the program is a bit tedious and heavy, but listeners will find the latter half of the work to be filled with great music that is both entertaining on one level, highly virtuoustic on another, and extremely thought-provoking on another. Critics tend to agree it is well worth the wait, as the piece already has won a Grammy award and a Pulitzer Prize this year alone. It should, as Marsalis said he hoped it would, help redefine jazz music for years to come.

Title: Jazz oratorio finally sees light of day

By: Kevin Ho Page: 8A

Date: 7/1/97