Wynton Marsalis
The kind of reputation Marsalis carried into this first album could have been an albatross around his trumpet. He is only 20 and is already being touted as the next Miles Davis. But there is hardly a note of disappointment here; it is a major jazz event. Classically trained, Marsalis makes a listener think of both Davis' cryptic invention and Dizzy Gillespie's wit and staying power. He meditates close to the melody on Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me), for instance, while soaring off on Ron Carter's RJ. The interplay between Marsalis and his brother Branford, 21, on soprano sax, especially on Wynton's light and dazzling tune Hesitation, is reminiscent of such horn-reed duos as Beiderbecke-Trumbauer and Davis-Parker. So now, who will be the next Wynton Marsalis?
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