The event was simply billed as “Willie Nelson Sings the Blues,” but the historic two-night stand on January 12 and 13, 2007 here at JAZZ was far more than that. Call it a summit meeting between two American icons, Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis, two of the most significant figures in modern-day country and jazz, who discovered common ground in their love for jazz standards and the blues. Their performance stirred the sounds of New Orleans, Nashville, Austin and New York City into a brilliantly programmed mix that was equal parts down-home and cosmopolitan, with plenty of swing and just a touch of melancholy. To say that these shows were a hot ticket would be an understatement.

Now, by popular demand, they’re back! Catch Willie and Wynton live in Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis: Two Men with the Blues in a very special one night concert on February 9, 2009 in Rose Theater.
To hear what you might have missed the first time around, listen to Willie and Wynton on Jazz at Lincoln Center Radio!

Get your copy of Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis Two Men With the Blues now! (This link will launch iTunes.)

Congo Square: Love. Libation. Liberation
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis & Odadaa! with Yacub Addy

Congo Square, a ground-breaking work written by Wynton Marsalis with Ghanaian drum master Yacub Addy, debuted in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans in the spring of 2006 before a wildly enthusiastic audience in Congo Square (inside Louis Armstrong Park), the only place in America where African slaves were allowed to perform their own music and dance in the 1700s-1800s, establishing the roots of American music.

This video podcast excerpted from the dynamic performance of Congo Square at the 2007 Montreal Jazz Festival was produced by Amérimage-Spectra and appears on Boosey.com with kind permission.

WATCH! Ever wonder what really goes on at Jazz at Lincoln Center? This five minute whirlwind video tour of JAZZ will give you an idea of the scope of our efforts to bring people—from toddlers to seniors—together through swing!