It was a heady night of firsts yesterday at Anthology.
The plush, $6.5 million downtown supper club and live-music venue, which celebrated its first anniversary last month, hosted two sold-out concerts by trumpet great Wynton Marsalis and his 14-man Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JALCO).
That this talent-packed big band was appearing before an audience of just 350 was news in itself. So was the fact that both of its Anthology shows were recorded by XM Satellite Radio, which will air this very special club date in September.
“We never play in small rooms like this," said the Pulitzer Prize-winning trumpeter, who is set to perform tonight at the 17,500-capacity Hollywood Bowl with his JALCO and special guest Willie Nelson.
Even without the added star power of Nelson, who is featured with Marsalis on the fine new live album, “Two Men with the Blues," the first of Tuesday's two Anthology performances was an almost unqualified treat. This held true despite - or perhaps because - the 15 musicians were crammed so tightly onto the Anthology stage that it would have been difficult to accommodate Nelson or any other musician.
Still, the opportunity to hear this alternately rollicking and svelte ensemble in such an intimate setting was most welcome (in an interview in last week's Night&Day, Marsalis couldn't recall when JALCO last played a club date).
The plush, $6.5 million downtown supper club and live-music venue, which celebrated its first anniversary last month, hosted two sold-out concerts by trumpet great Wynton Marsalis and his 14-man Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JALCO).
That this talent-packed big band was appearing before an audience of just 350 was news in itself. So was the fact that both of its Anthology shows were recorded by XM Satellite Radio, which will air this very special club date in September.
“We never play in small rooms like this," said the Pulitzer Prize-winning trumpeter, who is set to perform tonight at the 17,500-capacity Hollywood Bowl with his JALCO and special guest Willie Nelson.
Even without the added star power of Nelson, who is featured with Marsalis on the fine new live album, “Two Men with the Blues," the first of Tuesday's two Anthology performances was an almost unqualified treat. This held true despite - or perhaps because - the 15 musicians were crammed so tightly onto the Anthology stage that it would have been difficult to accommodate Nelson or any other musician.
Still, the opportunity to hear this alternately rollicking and svelte ensemble in such an intimate setting was most welcome (in an interview in last week's Night&Day, Marsalis couldn't recall when JALCO last played a club date).
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