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WYNTON MARSALIS SADDENED BY STATE OF N.O.: Trumpeter laments hometown during kickoff of weeklong jazz event.
*Disheartened by the slow pace of recovery and political quagmire in New Orleans some 7 ½ months following Hurricane Katrina, jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis spoke Monday about the city’s struggles.
"It's like somebody violated your mama. You can't really explain that," he said, visiting his hometown to launch a series of master classes, clinics and performances under his role as artistic director of New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center.
The week will culminate Sunday with the first public performance of a new composition called “Congo Square,” a tribute to the city's public square where African slaves were allowed to play music. Marsalis co-wrote the tune with Yacub Addy, leader of the African group Odadaa!
"We're going to kill ourselves this week to bring the spirit of jazz (back to New Orleans)," Marsalis said.
The birthplace of jazz, New Orleans is now home to about 200,000 people, or less than half of the population before the hurricane. As the city rebuilds, Marsalis is working to preserve its rich musical heritage. The 44-year-old, however, finds the slow pace a bit challenging.
"That's one of my great shortcomings. I'm very impatient," he told Reuters, adding that folks in the area are beginning to realize that, “’Hey we have something here, and instead of treating it like some unwanted step-child, let's bring it into the family.’”
The city hopes to lure musicians with a "Musicians' Village" being built by Habitat for Humanity and the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity.
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