Wynton Marsalis, generous band leader at the Halle aux grains de Toulouse
Programmed by Les Grands Interprètes, Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Orchestra were warmly welcomed by some 1,500 Toulouse residents on Thursday, October 21 at the Halle aux grains.
The Great Performers had a cold sweat, the spectators decided to buy their tickets later and later for the week. But, finally, the Hall with the grains reached a nice score, Thursday evening, with Wynton Marsalis and his big band, the Lincoln Center Orchestra. No less than 1,500 people attended, visibly delighted to participate in a great swing party, strongly and vigorously invigorating. The famous trumpeter first appeared on the front of the stage before retiring in the last row and giving prominence to his 13 musicians, whom he presented on several occasions to trigger applause. Alongside Wynton Marsalis, a lot of brass, of course, including a single woman, laughing blonde with an explosive name, Alexa Tarantino, saxophonist, flautist and clarinetist. Like her accomplices, the young musician quickly broke with a rigid set-up (black curtain, continuous raw light, suits and ties for these gentlemen…) for jubilant escapades, punctuated by shared smiles. What allows the repertoire of Wynton Marsalis who knows all the cogs of a swing machine but also knows how to instill a dose of humor (as in the song “Bees, bees, bees”, his “Flight of the drone” to him, richly orchestrated and totally surprising). Baron de Marciac, where he has been very involved for so many years, Wynton Marsalis confessed: “You know how much I love playing here”. The audience, who expressly declared themselves at each chorus, seemed to answer him like one man: “you come back when you want …”