James Hall reviews trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis' Sweet Thunder, a re-imagining of the suite 'Such Sweet Thunder,' composed by Duke Ellington and dedicated to the works of William Shakespeare:
"The suite was a natural choice for Marsalis, whose interest in literature motivated masters degree work in the subject at the University of New Orleans and a thesis on Duke and the Bard at the University of Louisville. There are meaningful nods to Shakespearean technique in both Ellington and Marsalis' approaches to the material. Ellington mirrored the 10-syllable, 14-line form of the sonnet in four of his pieces, to which Marsalis adds a solo section at the traditional location for the volta, the shift in a sonnet's direction..." Read More
Image Courtesy of Troubador Jazz Records
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