Chautauqua at 150: Wynton Marsalis’ All Rise, on PBS

In the late 1990’s, Marsalis was at the peak of his prestige and influence. He already received the Pulitzer Prize for Blood on the Fields. With the turn of the Millennium approaching, Columbia released nine ambitious albums from Marsalis, under the banner of “Swinging into the 21^st.” None was more ambitious than All Rise, commissioned by Kurt Masur, of the New York Philharmonic, in memory of his schoolboy days under the Nazi and East German Communist regimes. Yet, it would have its concert debut shortly after 9/11. Nearly a quarter century later, Marsalis staged a concert performance at Chautauqua, during the reflective season following the brutal attack on Salman Rushdie. It also happened to be one of those big round number anniversaries. Chautauqua takes stock of itself while listening to Marsalis in Chautauqua at 150: Wynton Marsalis’ All Rise, which airs this Tuesday on PBS.

Founded in 1874, the Chautauqua Institute was a product of the Lyceum movement that survived to this day, thanks to its pleasant location and the prominent faculty and presenters it attracts. Several staffers boast the Institute fosters dialogue that encourages understanding among partisans of each other’s positions. Everyone says they learn so much, but nobody actually explains how they changed mind after listening to the other side at Chautauqua. Of course, there is a multi-faith program that talks about phobias and isms rather than human rights and freedoms. Then, on August 22, 2022, Rushdie was attacked so brutally, he spent days on a ventilator and ultimately lost an eye.

To its credit, Chautauqua at 150 spends considerable time covering the attack and its aftermath, but it declines to mention the Institution deliberately refused to implement recommended security measures for Rushdie’s address, because they thought they would “create a divide between the speakers and the audience,” as two sources explained to CNN. Frankly, Chautauqua should probably reflect even further on this incident and what it really means.

Fortunately, jazz has healing powers, so it is frustrating Chautauqua at 150 often has interview subjects talking over the music. However, the backstory of the extended suite and its post-9/11 premiere deserve the time devoted to them. It also speaks to longevity of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestras membership since many musicians, including saxophonist Ted Nash and trumpeter Marcus Printup were with the band back in 2001 (in fact, there were with J@LC well before that). As a result, they obviously have seamless cohesion as a band and probably intuitively understand what their leader Marsalis is looking for.

All Rise is an impressive piece—when viewers get to hear it. For future listening reference, Marsalis’s train-themed “Swinging 21^st” suite, Big Train has even more character the train-inspired passage “Expressbrown Local” in All Rise. Of all the Marsalis extended compositions, none holds up better than In This House, On This Morning,” based on the forms of the traditional black church service. Arguably, it has the most variety of feeling, yet still most aptly expresses the theme. (It has been years since I listened to Blood on the Fields, but I’ll still be listening to In This House years from now.)

Regardless, it is always a nice surprise to find some jazz on PBS. At least we hear some nice teasers of All Rise, but the editorial staff really should have had more confidence in the music to stand on its own. Recommended, because this is pretty much all the jazz were going to get on national TV this week, Chautauqua at 150: Marsalis’ All Rise airs Tuesday night (2/11) on most PBS outlets.