Wynton Marsalis - Black Codes (from the Underground) (Columbia, 1985)

This post is by Scott and Dan

Wynton Marsalis (tr); Branford Marsalis (ts, ss); Kenny Kirkland (p); Charnett Moffett (b); Ron Carter (b, "Aural Oasis" only); Jeff "Tain" Watts (d)

Recorded on January 11 and 14, 1985

There is a huge amount of critical discourse about Wynton Marsalis which we do not wish to reiterate. We recognize that his first albums were very good and generated enough hype to fuel the narrative about jazz's return to "the tradition." We've addressed the weaknesses of that narrative in our first posts on this blog.

We include Black Codes (From the Underground), Wynton's fourth album as a leader, as a favorite of the decade based solely on its merits. Although it draws inspiration from Miles Davis's mid-1960s quintet, it makes a clear personal statement. All of the compositions are by the leader except for Kenny Kirkland's "Tain's Domain," which is a feature for drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. Wynton's tunes are based on ingenious figures that afford ample opportunity for improvisation by the primary soloists (Wynton, Branford Marsalis, and Kirkland). 

Wynton's solo on "Black Codes," the album's first track, is long and beautifully constructed  across several different modalities. Brother Branford offers a thoughtful soprano sax solo on the same tune, and Kirkland builds his solo around a progression using block chords as Watts pushes him hard. It's a great track that seems to end too soon at 9:35 minutes. "For Wee Folks" and "Aural Oasis" have lovely melodies that prompt nicely measured solos from both brothers. "Delfeayo's Dilemma" is most reminiscent of the type of brief theme that Miles Davis wrote for his quintet with Wayner Shorter. All of the solos are excellent while avoiding direct comparisons to Davis. The rhythm section is featured on the churning "Phryzzian Man" and "Chambers of Tain." 

The closing "Blues" is a brief exercise in in self-indulgence by Wynton, who fades in over Charnett Moffett's walking bass to play a series of extended techniques (e.g., sustained notes) for a full five minutes. As an afterthought, it's pretty nice but not in the same groove as the first eight tracks.

Black Codes was swiftly followed by another gem, J Mood. The Penguin Guide to Jazz considers these two albums to be "Marsalis's very best showings on record, neither of which he has ever bettered" (Penguin Guide, 5th ed., 2000, p. 972). That's a strong endorsement by a credible source, although it excludes recordings made in the past 23 years.