Track Listing

1. All Aboard
2. Observation Car
3. Union Pacific Big Boy
4. Smokestack Shuffle
5. Northbound-Southbound
6. Dining Car
7. Night Train
8. Engine
9. Bullet Train
10. Sleeper Car
11. Station Call
12. Caboose

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #124109 in Music
• Released on: 1999-07-13
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Train sounds hold a special mythic space in Afro-American folklore, literature, and music, and on this CD Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra explore and expand these railroad resonances in grand fashion. With Duke Ellington as the spiritual "conductor," Marsalis and his crew guide the listener through the syncopated scenery of America's harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic places and spaces. As always, Marsalis is in top form, growling and sliding in vivid locomotive tones driven by his trumpeting cohorts including Marcus Printup and Ryan Kisor. Saxophonists Wess Anderson, Victor Goines, Walter Blanding Jr., and Joe Temperley brilliantly recombine essences of Paul Gonsalves, Johnny Hodges, and Harry Carney. With this CD, it's apparent that Marsalis's grasp of the compositional demands of a large ensemble is still growing and traveling in the right direction. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews

Wyton Marsalis is at the top of his game.
Wyton Marsalis is at the top of his game. Unlike the other reviewer this set does not feel derivative at all in fact it just gets more interesting with each listen..All the players mesh with each other just like a train. I do agree that this is a true tone poem but the fact that it is deep in Ellingtonisms does not matter to the music. After all no one complains that Wagner's Ring is deep into Beethoven. In fact the Whole 19th century owe him due.Likewise Ellington for the 20th, but just like all the great works that followed Beethoven that stand on there own so does the work of 20th century masters like Marsalis stand on there own. I use to think that the work he did with his septet would be his best, but now I feel there is no limit to what he may do and I can hardly wait for Sweet Release and Ghost Story.

Squeaks, Squawks, Squeals and a Little Music
Big Train is the inspiration of traveling by locomotive across the country. Each jazz-laden track is influenced by different parts of the train. The rhythm of clickitty-clack permeates throughout as well as many sounds that one would associate with a big 4-8-8-4 Big Boy.

I first heard Big Train on PBS-TV. It was very interesting to watch the orchestra perform this concept. They used different mutes and techniques to get the squeal and squeaks of the train's breaks, its engines, its whistles and steam being let off. I bought the album later remembering how much I was impressed by the video. Upon listening to the album, I found the sound effects to become annoying after awhile. They could have left the squeals to the beginning and end of the album, and had more time to actually play.

When they do play, the orchestra plays quite well. It is amazing to listen to so many instruments working together to produce music and not just plain old noise (although they do make a lot of noise on several occasions). There are some very good songs here like "Station Call", a great guitar solo on "Observation Car" and "Engine" with an amazing drum solo. This is where I was first introduced to trumpeter Ryan Kisor. Unfortunately, in an orchestra setting, it is nearly impossible to tell who is playing unless you can actually see them.

Overall, I really like this album. I could do without the sound effects though. I don't need to hear squealing breaks to know that I'm on a train. They could have focused entirely on the rhythm and accomplished the same musical image and had a great album. If you're a fan of the Lincoln Center Orchestra and a big brassy sound, don't hesitate getting aboard the Big Train.

Admirable but not engaging
This is a tough one because there is much to admire about this music, including its ambitions and the expertise that went into the whole enterprise. I also admire Mr Marsalis for the way in which he has articulated so intelligently about this art form over the past 20 years. Although I have only listened to the programme on Big Train three times, I do not feel the music - I hear it, but I don't feel it. There is the impression of being too careful, not to play the mistakes, against Miles' advice to his musicians to go ahead, play the mistakes. On the other hand I'm really looking forward to his live gig at the Vanguard, where I think he's at his best. In the end, if you don't feel the music, it's not enough.