Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis’ Symphony No 4, The Jungle, is a wild and brilliant portrait of New York City in all its dazzling, high-pressure, cosmopolitan glory. Featuring glimpses of ragtime and elements of popular dance music, its six movements combine rapid and hard-swinging fast passages with poignant blues-tinged melodies and colourful, plushly orchestrated jazz chords. The ‘La Esquina’ movement pays homage the city’s Afro-Latin culture while the work’s finale sees wailing brass spin bold melodies over rhythmic riffs. Like the (second) greatest city in the world, this intoxicating cacophony of sounds, cultures and identities will leave you thinking.