StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: More from Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

This week, let's go back into the video vaults of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to look at more examples of their work as a repertory ensemble. (Last week's post, which featured JaLCO's interpretations of music associated with six different jazz greats, can be seen here.)

Today's spotlight is on performances that dig into jazz repertory from the angles of era and genre, starting with the first video up above, which features works from two of the essential jazz big bands. The concert, recorded in April 2018 at JaLCO's home venue, the Rose Theater in their New York headquarters, starts with "The Best of Basie," which, as the name implies, is something of a live "greatest hits" presentation of music from Count Basie, followed by a performance of one of Duke Ellington's most celebrated extended works, "Black, Brown & Beige."

After the jump, you can see more interpretations of vintage music from big bands in the next two videos. A program called "Birth of the American Orchestra," recorded in January 2015, revisits the roots of the big band sound as developed by Don Redman, Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Benny Carter, Eddie Durham, and others.

Then "The Swing Era—Revolution in Rhythm" from November 2016 follows those developments into the 1930s with more from Ellington, Henderson and Benny Goodman, plus a new work inspired by the era that was composed by JaLCO trumpeter Marcus Printup.

Next up, "Handful of Keys: A Century of Jazz Piano" from September 2016 features guest pianists Helen Sung, Joey Alexander, Isaiah Thompson, Myra Melford, Larry Willis and Dick Hyman along with JaLCO's own Dan Nimmer presenting new arrangements of music associated with some of the greatest keyboardists in jazz.

The last two videos find the orchestra going beyond straight-ahead jazz to show how the music can mix with allied genres. In "The Music of Puente, Machito, and Henriquez" from June 2015, bassist Carlos Henriquez leads the orchestra through Latin jazz classics and a new work of his own, aided by guest percussionists Johnny Rodriguez, Jose Madera Jr., and George Delgado and vocalists Marco Bermudez and Nilsa Rodriguez.

The final video "South African Songbook" was recorded in September 2019, and features South African guest musicians who have chosen "essential" songs from their country to perform in new arrangements with the JaLCO.

You can see the rest of today's videos after the jump...