Rock Chalk Suite

This recording is available as an MP3 or hi-res WAV digital download, or for physical purchase at  https://lied.ku.edu/rockchalk/

It’s been said that basketball is like jazz—but Rock Chalk Suite takes the comparison to another level entirely. Written and recorded by the musicians of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, each of the suite’s high-flying 15 movements takes inspiration from a different University of Kansas hoops legend. As Marsalis says, both basketball and jazz “reward improvisation and split-second decision making against the pressure of time,” and the JLCO’s masterful composers have turned the Jayhawks’ rich basketball history into a stylish slam dunk of an album.

 

Rock Chalk Suite was commissioned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Lied Center of Kansas, KU’s performing arts center, and the album utilizes the JLCO’s full roster to honor the university's rich athletic heritage as well as its cultural contributions to the world. Drawing on the careers of famous Jayhawks like Paul Pierce, Lynette Woodard, and Jo Jo White, Rock Chalk Suite is a timeless tribute to the spirit of improvisation, both on and off the hardwood.

Watch Brian Hanni, the voice of the Jayhawks, announce the JLCO members here!

Track Listing

Personnel

THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS 

REEDS

Sherman Irby — alto and soprano saxophones, flute, clarinet

Ted Nash — alto and soprano saxophones, flute, clarinet, piccolo

Victor Goines — tenor and soprano saxophones, Bb and bass clarinets, tambourine

†Walter Blanding — tenor saxophone

*Camille Thurman — tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet

Paul Nedzela — baritone and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet

*Ryan Kisor

Kenny Rampton

Marcus Printup

Wynton Marsalis

Vincent Gardner

Chris Crenshaw (additional vocals, track 7)

Elliot Mason (tracks 1-8, 10-14)

*Sam Chess (tracks 9 and 15)

Dan Nimmer — piano

Carlos Henriquez — bass

*Charles Goold — drums

*Taurien “TJ” Reddick – percussion