Today, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Blue Engine Records releases Jazz for Kids, a new digital album from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. In the Orchestra’s masterful hands,the simplicity and familiarity of childhood favorites like “Old MacDonald” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider” afford a world of musical possibilities for audiences young and old.
On a unique interpretation of “Wheels on the Bus,” the Orchestra is joined by co-anchor of NBC News’ TODAY and co-host of TODAY with Hoda and Jenna Hoda Kotb, who narrates the beloved nursery rhyme, accompanied by a special solo by Wynton Marsalis.
Recorded in 2011 at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz for Kids explores the universal appeal of jazz, providing younger audiences with an access point to the music and making tried-and-true jazz lovers feel young at heart. Showcasing the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s greatest strengths—unprecedented stylistic versatility and a creative roster of expert arrangers—Jazz for Kids demonstrates how jazz can transform even the most familiar song to take listeners on an unforgettable ride.
Wonderful for both young and old, either as an introduction to jazz or a reminder of the music’s ability to supercharge your imagination, this collection of children’s classics with a jazz spin is available now on all digital platforms.
TRACK LISTING
1. Baa Baa Black Sheep
Arranged by Sherman Irby
Solos: Kenny Rampton (trumpet), Vincent Gardner (trombone), Sherman Irby (alto saxophone), Marcus Printup (trumpet—fills), Chris Crenshaw (trombone—fills), Walter Blanding (tenor saxophone—fills)
2. Old MacDonald
Arranged by Ted Nash
Solos: Sherman Irby (alto saxophone—fills), Dan Nimmer (piano), Vincent Gardner (trombone—fills), Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), Joe Temperley (baritone saxophone), Walter Blanding (tenor saxophone), Ali Jackson (drums)
3. Mah NàMah Nà
Written by Piero Umiliani
Arranged by Wynton Marsalis
Solos: Jonathan Russell (violin), Carlos Henriquez (bass, vocals)
4. Itsy Bitsy Spider
Arranged by Wynton Marsalis
Solos: Ted Nash (flute), Chris Crenshaw (trombone—fills)
5. La Cucaracha
Arranged by Wynton Marsalis
Solos: Marcus Printup (trumpet), Victor Goines (clarinet), Chris Crenshaw (trombone), Dan Nimmer (piano), Carlos Henriquez (bass), Ali Jackson (drums)
6. Wheels on the Bus (feat. Hoda Kotb)
Arranged by Sherman Irby
Solos: Hoda Kotb (vocals), Ali Jackson (brushes), Wynton Marsalis (trumpet)
7. It Ain’t Easy Being Green
Written by Joe Raposo
Arranged by Ali Jackson
Solos: ,Vincent Gardner (trombone), Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), Marcus Printup (trumpet)
8. I Like to Take My Time
Written by Fred Rogers
Arranged by Sherman Irby
Solo: Ryan Kisor (trumpet)
9. Rubber Duckie
Written by Jeff Moss
Arranged by Vincent Gardner
Solos: Dan Nimmer (piano), Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), Vincent Gardner (trombone), Sherman Irby (alto saxophone), Ali Jackson (drums), Wynton Marsalis (trumpet—hollers)
10. Pop Goes the Weasel
Arranged by Wynton Marsalis
Solos: Ted Nash (alto saxophone), Elliot Mason (trombone)
PERSONNEL:
THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS
REEDS
Sherman Irby (alto saxophone, clarinet, and flute)
Ted Nash (alto saxophone, clarinet, and flute)
Victor Goines (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, and clarinet)
Walter Blanding (tenor saxophone)
Joe Temperley (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet)
TRUMPETS
Ryan Kisor
Marcus Printup
Kenny Rampton
Wynton Marsalis
TROMBONES
Vincent Gardner (trombone, vocals)
Chris Crenshaw
Elliot Mason
RHYTHM SECTION
Dan Nimmer (piano)
Carlos Henriquez (bass)
Ali Jackson (drums)
Special Guests:
Hoda Kotb (vocals)
Jonathan Russell (violin)
About Blue Engine Records
Blue Engine Records, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s platform that makes its vast archive of recorded concerts available to jazz audiences everywhere, launched on June 30, 2015. Blue Engine Records releases new studio and live recordings as well as archival recordings from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s performance history that date back to 1987 and are part of the R. Theodore Ammon Archives and Music Library. Since the institution’s founding in 1987, each year’s programming is conceived and developed by Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis with a vision toward building a comprehensive library of iconic and wide-ranging compositions that, taken together, make up a canon of music. These archives include accurate, complete charts for the compositions—both old and new—performed each season. Coupled with consistently well-executed and recorded music performed by Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, this archive has grown to include thousands of songs from hundreds of concert dates. The launch of Blue Engine is aligned with Jazz at Lincoln Center’s efforts to cultivate existing jazz fans worldwide and turn new audiences on to jazz.