Contemplation

Wayne's music has become basic instrumental vocabulary for all of us who came after him. For anyone wishing to play jazz, it is a must that you come through the music of Ellington, Monk, and Shorter. Much of Wayne's music is architecturally perfect in terms of its harmonic and melodic structure. As creative musicians, we take liberties with interpretations of every legend's music, while keeping a conscious eye on a song's DNA. The bulk of the material that the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis chose to arrange for this performance (and subsequent CD release titled Endangered Species) was composed in the first decade of Wayne's career. Mama G, Armageddon, Contemplation, Hammer Head, Teru, and Lost were all written between 1959 and 1966. His material from this period has become part of the foundation of modern jazz. Diana (pronounced Gianna) was composed in 1974 just as jazz fusion and, particularly, Weather Report were reaching their zenith. Endangered Species and The Three Marias both come from Wayne's 1985 flagship album Atlantis. This album's foundation was '80s keyboards and other various electric instruments. The JLCO does a remarkable job of creatively arranging Wayne's music while keeping a watchful eye on the core structure of these songs. Christian McBride, 2019