Blood on the Fields

Last updated
Blood on the Fields
Blood on the fields.jpg
Box set by
ReleasedJune 17, 1997 (1997-06-17)
RecordedJanuary 22–25, 1995
Genre Jazz
Label Columbia
Wynton Marsalis chronology
In Gabriel's Garden
(1996)
Blood on the Fields
(1997)
Jump Start and Jazz
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]

Blood on the Fields is a two-and-a-half-hour jazz oratorio by Wynton Marsalis. It was commissioned by Lincoln Center and treats the history of slavery and its aftermath in the United States of America. The oratorio tells the story of two slaves, Jesse and Leona, as they traverse the difficult journey to freedom. The narrative suggests that the individual freedom and agency of its protagonists is necessarily and inextricably intertwined with the empowerment of the community and nation as a whole. [3] The work received the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Music, [4] being the first time the prize was ever given for a jazz music composition, an honor that had previously been reserved for classical composers.

Contents

Track listing

Disc 1

  1. Calling the Indians Out
  2. Move Over
  3. You Don't Hear No Drums
  4. The Market Place
  5. Soul for Sale
  6. Plantation Coffle March
  7. Work Song (Blood on the Fields)

Disc 2

  1. Lady's Lament
  2. Flying High
  3. Oh We Have a Friend in Jesus
  4. God Don't Like Ugly
  5. Juba and a O'Brown Squaw
  6. Follow the Drinking Gourd
  7. My Soul Fell Down
  8. Forty Lashes
  9. What a Fool I've Been
  10. Back to Basics

Disc 3

  1. I Hold Out My Hand
  2. Look and See
  3. The Sun Is Gonna Shine
  4. Will the Sun Come Out?
  5. The Sun Is Gonna Shine
  6. Chant to Call the Indians Out
  7. Calling the Indians Out
  8. Follow the Drinking Gourd
  9. Freedom Is in the Trying
  10. Due North

Musicians

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark-Anthony Turnage</span> English composer (born 1960)

Mark-Anthony Turnage CBE is an English composer of contemporary classical music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wynton Marsalis</span> American jazz musician (born 1961)

Wynton Learson Marsalis is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awards, and his oratorio Blood on the Fields was the first jazz composition to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Marsalis is the only musician to have won a Grammy Award in both jazz and classical categories in the same year.

<i>Citi Movement</i> (Griot New York) 1992 studio album by Wynton Marsalis

Citi Movement (Griot New York) is an album by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis that was released in 1992.

<i>Blue Interlude</i> 1992 studio album by Wynton Marsalis Septet

Blue Interlude is an album by the Wynton Marsalis Septet, released in 1992 by Columbia Records.

<i>From the Plantation to the Penitentiary</i> 2007 studio album by Wynton Marsalis

From the Plantation to the Penitentiary is an album by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis that was released in 2007. It reached No. 2 on Billboard's Top Jazz chart.

<i>The Majesty of the Blues</i> 1989 studio album by Wynton Marsalis

The Majesty of the Blues is an album by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis that was released in 1989.

<i>Tales from the Acoustic Planet</i> 1995 studio album by Béla Fleck

Tales From The Acoustic Planet is an album by American banjoist Béla Fleck. It is a jazzy album with roots in bluegrass, where Fleck is joined by bluegrass stars, as well as his jazz friends and Flecktones members. This is also his first solo album since 1988's Places.

<i>Super Hits</i> (Miles Davis album) 2001 greatest hits album by Miles Davis

Super Hits is a greatest hits album from Miles Davis. Released in 2001, it reached #22 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart.

<i>Christmas Jazz Jam</i> 2009 studio album by Wynton Marsalis

Christmas Jazz Jam is a Christmas album by Wynton Marsalis that was released in 2009 by Compass Productions. Musicians on the album include Wessell Anderson on alto saxophone, Vincent Gardner and Wycliffe Gordon on trombone, Victor Goines on tenor & soprano saxophone and clarinet, and Herlin Riley on drums.

<i>Crescent City Christmas Card</i> 1989 studio album by Wynton Marsalis

Crescent City Christmas Card is an album by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis that was released in 1989. The album reached a peak position of number fourteen on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart.

<i>Joe Cools Blues</i> 1995 studio album by Wynton Marsalis and Ellis Marsalis

Joe Cool's Blues is an album by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and his father Ellis Marsalis that was released in 1995. The album reached a peak position of No. 3 on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart.

<i>Standard Time, Vol. 6: Mr. Jelly Lord</i> 1999 studio album by Wynton Marsalis

Standard Time, Vol. 6: Mr. Jelly Lord is an album by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis that was released in 1999. The album peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.

<i>He and She</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Wynton Marsalis

He and She is an album by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis that was released in 2009. The album reached a peak of number 6 on the Top Jazz Albums chart of Billboard magazine.

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is an American big band and jazz orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis. The Orchestra is part of Jazz at Lincoln Center, a performing arts organization in New York City.

<i>I Heard You Twice the First Time</i> 1992 studio album by Branford Marsalis

I Heard You Twice the First Time is a jazz album by Branford Marsalis that explores different aspects of the blues, featuring guest appearances from B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Russell Malone, Wynton Marsalis and Linda Hopkins. It peaked at number 1 on the Top Jazz Albums chart. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group.

<i>The Thompson Fields</i> 2015 studio album by Maria Schneider Orchestra

The Thompson Fields is an album by the Maria Schneider Orchestra that won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2017. Schneider was the composer, conductor, and co-producer of the autobiographical work. The title comes from the Minnesota farm where she was raised.

<i>Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom</i> 2016 studio album by Ted Nash Big Band

Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom is an album by the Ted Nash Big Band that won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2017. "Spoken at Midnight" won Best Instrumental Composition.

<i>Amarcord Nino Rota</i> Studio album by (Various)

Amarcord Nino Rota is an album by various artists, recorded as a tribute to composer Nino Rota.

<i>Data Lords</i> 2020 studio album by Maria Schneider Orchestra

Data Lords is a large-ensemble jazz album by the Maria Schneider Orchestra that was released in 2020.

<i>Jazz for Peanuts</i> 2008 compilation album by David Benoit

Jazz for Peanuts: A Retrospective of the Charlie Brown TV Themes is a compilation album released in the U.S. by Peak Records in October 2008. The album is credited to David Benoit and contains a mix of previously released material plus newly recorded songs featured in prime-time animated television specials based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz.

References

  1. Yanow, Scott. "Blood on the Fields - Review". AllMusic . Retrieved November 8, 2009.
  2. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 951. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
  3. "Blood on the Fields". Wynton Marsalis Enterprises. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  4. "Blood on the Fields, by Wynton Marsalis". The Pulitzer Prizes. January 28, 1997. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  5. Liner Notes from Blood on the Fields CD set, Columbia Records 1997.