From The Plantation To The Penitentiary

Immensely more satisfying than Marsalis' 1995 epic "Blood on the Fields," a Pulitzer Prize winner, his latest long-form work triumphs as a masterful sociopolitical critique of American culture. The jazz statesman enlists his quintet and vocalist Jennifer Sanon, who shines. Her deliberately off-key vocalizing to match the chordal dissonance Marsalis employs in the title track accentuates his discontent with our cultural descent. Stylistically, he takes the all-encompassing route on his suite-like tunes, maintaining the swing essence augmented by world rhythms, as well as modern beats like the cha-cha and Motown. Marsalis' trumpet voicings are showcased throughout, including a soulful muse on "Love and Broken Heart," a ballad pining for the return of slow-dance romance, and frenzied bleats to accentuate the craze of materialism on "Supercapitalism." He even preaches on the spirited finale, "Where Y'All At," questioning authority and commitment. —Dan Ouellette