Wynton Marsalis
Black Codes (from the Underground)
Black Codes
For Wee Folks
Delfeayo's Dilemma
Phryzzinian Man
Aural Oasis
Chambers of Tain
Columbia House, 1985
The first thing you'll notice about Black Codes (From the Underground) is that it comes out swinging. The title track is a no-nonsense aural assault that is brash, precise, confrontational and has such a profound energy that it demands to be listened to with the same intensity that it offers. It makes no apologies nor condescends at any point as you are assailed by some of the most intricate and intense work that has been heard of in years.
All of this is in sharp contrast to the rest of the CD as Black Codes takes a slower, but no less intricate road from the 2nd track on. It is busy, it is sedate. If the sounds and soul of a city, from love to prejudice, could be sculpted by trumpet, saxophone, piano, drums, then the end result would be something akin to what Mr. Marsalis has to offer in this remarkable CD.
Black Codes is a wonderful and diverse trip filled with all the integrity, passion and precision that is expected from the premier spokesman of jazz in America these days. It is intense, brash, unapologetic and demands that the listener rise to the occasion to embrace what it has to offer 'cause it's sure not going to stoop to you.