Television Reviews : Marsalis Documentary Gets in the Right Groove

Eight years ago, Wynton Marsalis was the teen-age Wunderkind who sprang to prominence with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messages. Today, at 27, he is a spokesman for the music who has long since been absorbed into the mainstream of the jazz community as performer and lecturer.

In “Wynton Marsalis--Blues & Swing,” an hourlong documentary airing at 9 tonight on “Great Performances” (Channels 28, 15 and 24), produced and directed by Stanley Dorfman, Marsalis is clearly in his element, holding forth for classes at Harvard and at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, and performing with his group at the Westwood Playhouse.

Marsalis describes to his young audiences, in eloquent and sometimes humorous terms, the characteristics and virtues of jazz as an art form, and the need to respect not only its present masters but also its past creative geniuses.

There is no excess of voice-overs; the performances and talk sessions are kept largely separate. On such tunes as “Do You Know What It means to Miss New Orleans?” and “Crepuscule with Nellie,” Marsalis’ lyrical trumpet is in top form; on the fast pieces, such as “Cherokee” and “Caravan,” his emotional intensity does not quite keep pace with his awesome technique. One number, his own composition “J. Mood,” suffers from tiresome repetitions of notes and phrases.

He is well accompanied by the remarkable pianist Marcus Roberts, saxophonist Todd Williams, bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Jeff Watts. The hour goes by swiftly thanks to the combined intellectual and creative powers of this imperfect but still impressive artist.