by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
The musician will step down as artistic director next summer
Wynton Marsalis, the founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC), was the guest of honor and performed at this year’s annual gala, Rhythms That Move the World.
The event was held on April 15 at JALC’s home, Frederick P. Rose Hall, in New York City.
Marsalis played his trumpet and performed with the orchestra during the evening.
During Chenault’s speech, he celebrated Marsalis as “our founder, our heartbeat, and a true American original.”
“He built an enduring institution that stands today as a beacon of excellence and creativity. And, while he’s changing roles, he will remain a vital part of [JALC]. He is and will always be our founder,” he told the crowd that evening.
“When we established Jazz at Lincoln Center in 1987, our goal was to build an enduring jazz institution that would both entertain and educate by exposing multi-generational audiences to an often-overlooked aspect of American culture, and I am proud of the tremendous progress we’ve made,” said Marsalis in a written statement. “JALC and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra have always been my main artistic priority as a musician and a citizen.”
Source: Black Enterprise
