Wynton Marsalis joins Joshua Redman on stage

Perugia (Italy), 1994.
In this unknown video-clip, Wynton joins Joshua Redman while playing at church of San Francesco al Prato. They play 'The Promise' by John Coltrane.
Eric Reed is with them playing the piano. Christian McBride on bass. Brian Blade on the drums.
Enjoy this wonderful duet!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Joshua Redman
• Wynton Marsalis
• Eric Reed
• Umbria Jazz
• The Promise
• Brian Blade
• Christian
• McBride

[aarfeld]

Perhaps trumpet players could tell us what Wynton is adjusting when several times he reaches up to the front area of its tubing and appears to adjust something? Can one tune a trumpet? I thought they were always in tune.

[plithos]

@aarfeld

unfortunately dear friend, the trumpet is never in tune. What Wynton does is 'modifying' the tube's length, so tuning the instrument. The intonation in trumpet is a complex matter, ensured by your 'lips', length of those pipes (and the quality of the instrument). He's in perfect control of everything else, so he adjusts the tuning pipe as he plays, 'cause he listens to it and it ain't right.

Trumpet is considered on the few instruments that can play micro-tones, so...

[plithos]

@aarfeld

unfortunately dear friend, the trumpet is never in tune. What Wynton does is 'modifying' the tube's length, so tuning the instrument. The intonation in trumpet is a complex matter, ensured by your 'lips', length of those pipes (and the quality of the instrument). He's in perfect control of everything else, so he adjusts the tuning pipe as he plays, 'cause he listens to it and it ain't right.

Trumpet is considered on the few instruments that can play micro-tones, so...

[aarfeld]

@plithos: Thank you for your detailed explanation. In the series of interviews that he did for the Ken Burns series on Jazz history, Wynton at one point said: "The trumpet is the only instrument that is always in tune." I guess he was just making a little joke. It went right past me.

[plithos]

@aarfeld

hahaha.. probably joking. I'm playing the trumpet and i can tell you, the trumpet is, after all, on the player.. and he performs what he's used to.. and according to his (trained or not) ear (i mean after the physical tube tuning..).

The most tuned instrument in the orchestras is the oboe. And also it produces really low/few harmonics (unlike the trumpet), so it's clear to any ear. Sometimes everybody tunes on it.

Nowadays, with all these digital chromatic tuners...

[ndantoni]

Get over your musical snobery. Music is art and is subject to interpretation. Who cares if you don't know the name to every Coltrane tune.

@Joe...this means you.

@plithos...get off your knees. No one knows everything.

[plithos]

@ndantoni

thanks wise guy...

[skrovetpt]

Wynton and Joshua should have played together more often they played off each other so well!

[astroscorp2]

People may not realize it, but this is real...I mean, this is a real battle going on... pay close attention.

[astroscorp2]

I find Wynton a little stiff here. I think he's a bit nervous to blow in front of effin Redman is why...;-

[theorygeek000]

@eldwinwong I think they're going over the form of the song... I think josh was indicating the top of the tune

[aarfeld]

@valvetrom: Thanks you for this detailed explanation.

[valvetrom]

@aarfeld Yes he is indeed tuning the trumpet, which goes up when warmed up, then there are finer tunings according which scale they are using. E G the d as the 4th harmonic from Bb(key of Bb is naturally where it shoul de, bit low. But if its the 5th note in the G scale you want it a bit sharper. He is a fine master and knows exactly what to do. Same applies to guitar players exept their strings slacken when warming up, and pitch goes down

[djjjamin]

@Chanthemanx14 yea im pretty sure most wind instuments can do microtones, if not all of them, cause thats how u get vibrato. but it is easier to do w a trumpet and trumpets can do it to rediculous amounts, in the hands of a good player.

[Chanthemanx14]

@plithos hey man! i think that almost any instrument is capable of playing these micro-tones. just like being sharp or flat, i play tenor saxophone and different notes on different instruments tend to play higher or lower than others. and i think he adjusts his tuning slide more for comfort in playing. surely a trumpet player of wyntons caliber can simply bend his notes to be in tune. but who knows!

[SkiptimusPrime]

@JazzzPianist There's a lot of truth to what you say here. But really it does matter. There is a center of each note and each player plays with a different tension on this center. That is to say that if you took ten different trumpet players and had them play the same trumpet and same note (after bragging and posturing endlessly and showing off) you'd get a bunch of different "A"s. This means that everyone has to change their own personal setting on the horn. If you don't your chops will tire!

[mrsaxx]

great concert! i was there!!