PENTATONE releases Marsalis: Blues Symphony, featuring Detroit Symphony Orchestra & Jader Bignamini, in March 2025.
A Triumphant Symphonic Ode To The Power Of The Blues
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra and its Music Director Jader Bignamini present Wynton Marsalis’ Blues Symphony. The work is a triumphant ode to the power of the blues and the scope of America’s musical heritage. With a blend of influences from ragtime to habanera, the work takes listeners on a sonic journey through America’s revolutionary era, the early beginnings of jazz in New Orleans, and a big city soundscape that serves as a nod to the Great Migration. Detroit being one of the most vibrant melting pots of musical cultures in the US, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra seems the ideal advocate for this original contribution to the symphonic repertoire. The recording is also the first with Jader Bignamini, giving a new dimension to his music directorship.
Wynton Marsalis is a world-renowned trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and a leading advocate of American culture. Jader Bignamini has worked with the world’s leading orchestras and opera companies. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, America’s fourth-oldest, has a history as varied and exciting as that of its hometown.
“The Blues Symphony is a seven-movement work that gives a s symphonic identity to the form and feeling of the blues. It utilizes regional and stylistic particulars of the idiom’s language and form to convey the basic point of view of the blues as music: ‘Life hands you hard times.’” – Wynton Marsalis
“Recording Blues Symphony was an unforgettable dream come true. The project united my love of jazz’s improvisational colors with my passion for conducting, and particularly for conducting an orchestra as talented, expressive, and versatile as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.” – Jader Bignamini, Music Director, Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Digital Release Date: 14 MARCH 2025
Physical Release: MARCH 2025
Released as a Standard 2CD and in digital formats for streaming and high-resolution downloads.
