The Jazz Project - Album 95: Wynton Marsalis - "Black Codes (From The Underground)"

        To further my understanding of Jazz, I'm listening through Jazzwise Magazine's "The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World". Each album is presented with my stream-of-consciousness thoughts for each track, my general thoughts of the album as a whole, and any relevant information I can capture about the album. Also included is my drink of choice while taking the album in. Thank you for joining me on my journey to [partial] Jazz enlightenment.

Album 95

Wynton Marsalis - Black Codes (From The Underground)

Drinking: Water

Photo credit: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71AjE-4yGVL._SL1500_.jpg

1. "Black Codes": I love that intro, each instrument sounds like a voice in a marketplace of sound ebbing and flowing in discourse. ~0:54 features a nice change of pace from the intro. We ride the music until there's a piercing solo at ~1:24 that is tasty. I think it sounds like Miles but with some extra sizzle folded into the mix. This piece very conversational, like a community buzzing on a beautiful day. Honestly, I like the saxophone solo more than the trumpet work, but I also prefer that instrument anyways. As the song draws to a close I get a free jazz vibe from the performance, which I enjoyed. This whole piece is mixed very well. 
   
   
2. "For Wee Folks": I wonder if this song is named after Pee Wee Marquette, or at least in memory of. Regardless, I love the somber tone of the intro, it's a very cool sound. It reminds me of a soft rainstorm on a quiet day. The saxophone playing sounds like someone singing scat, very enjoyable. Perhaps this song is trying to embody the joys and frustrations of kids having to stay indoors on a rainy day instead of playing outside. This makes sense as each  riff, each moment comes into focus just as quickly as it goes, just staying long enough to say we enjoyed it.
   
   
3. "Delfeayo's Dilemma": This is a hot track that's chopping at the bit to get going. The drums keep the heat on, like a racing mind trying to make a decision. Delfeayo is Wynton's brother and a trombone player. I wonder what story this song stems from because it must be a doozy. I like this track a lot and it captures how my mind often feels when I'm lost in my thoughts. Each instrument is a new possibility trying to vie for center stage. At ~5:46 it sounds like outside voices or new thoughts trying to break into the fray, breaking the rhythm of the thought as the other parts struggle to bring it back into line. 
   
   
4. "Phyrzzinian Man": The beginning of this song features a tasty chord. Featuring an excellent interplay of instruments, I love the pacing that the tempo brings. Just as you're starting to groove to the rhythm they pull the rug just enough to keep you off your footing, but not falling. I'm not sure what it's trying to lay out thematically, but I like the tune. The piano riff as it fades out is lovely. 
   
   
5. "Aural Oasis": There is a delicate opening to this song. I feel like I'm traveling in the moonlight, wandering, and wondering where the journey is taking you. Or perhaps reflecting on your history. A very touching track. Listening to the drums is like watching a painter work on his canvas, some brushwork over here, and a little more over there. A very talented performance. Hilariously enough, Wynton has said he doesn't like his performance on this particular recording, that he couldn't really play on it. Hindsight is a funny thing like that. 
   
   
6. "Chambers Of Tain": Tain is a reference to the drummer in this band Jeff "Tain" Watts. This has a fun rhythm to it, I can't quite my footing in it. To me, it sounds like a busy subway station with people coming and going with different walking gaits, attitudes, different everything. The piano is hammering out the arrival alarms and the announcements over the PA. At ~2:00 the song segues into a different part and slowly fades out to this sizzling sax solo of this vibrant rhythm section, complete with a walking bass line of such speed it could be the Roadrunner's soundtrack. this is a hot track! The drum solo at ~5:45 is monstrous. I love how Tain plays with the dynamic range of his instrument during the solo. ~6:55 brings us back to the subway platform panic in a sudden and beautiful way. 
   
   
7. "Blues": This is the shortest track on the album. It features a quiet blues intro and features an intriguing change of pace from the sound of the previous tracks. The bass/trumpet duet is absolutely lovely. Talk about going back to your roots. This and "Chambers Of Tain" are my two favorite tracks on this album. 

Photo credit: https://www.jazz.org/userfiles/cms_images/media_library_cache/WyntonMarsalis_byMaryleneMeyandWhitLane_1024x768_crop_726_409_242_242_242_85___2743.jpg

Overall Thoughts: I get a heavy Miles Davis vibe from Wynton's playing, and I sincerely enjoy it. Some songs weren't a hit for me, but the overall strength of this album really blew me away. I'll be searching for this album to add to my collection. 

Info: This album was released on the Colombia label June 9th, 1985, and was produced by Steven Epstein and George Butler. It features Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, Branford Marsalis on tenor and soprano saxophone, Kenny Kirkland on drums, Charnett Moffett on double bass, and Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums. Fun fact, Wynton Marsalis is the director of the Jazz Studies program at Juilliard.