Blood on the Fields

Blood on the Fields
Box set by
Wynton Marsalis
ReleasedJune 17, 1997 (1997-06-17)
RecordedJanuary 22–25, 1995
StudioGrand Hall of the Masonic Grand Lodge
GenreJazz
Length2:42:18
LabelColumbia
Wynton Marsalis chronology
In Gabriel's Garden
(1996) 		Blood on the Fields
(1997) 		Jump Start and Jazz
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz RecordingsStarStarStarHalf star[2]

Blood on the Fields is a two-and-a-half-hour jazz oratorio composed by Wynton Marsalis for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, released by Columbia Records in 1997. It debuted on January 28, 1997 at Woolsey Hall at Yale University.[3]

It was commissioned by Lincoln Center and covers the history of slavery and its aftermath in the United States. The oratorio tells the story of two slaves, Jesse and Leona, as they traverse the difficult journey to freedom. The narrative suggests that the individual freedom and agency of its protagonists is necessarily and inextricably intertwined with the empowerment of the community and nation as a whole.[4] The work received the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Music,[3] which was the first time the prize was ever given for a jazz music composition, an honor that had previously been reserved for classical composers.

Reception

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "the musicians.. are quite superb. It, however, should be mentioned that the use of group narration to tell parts of the story does not work that well, the music could have used a stronger and more complicated story..., and few of the themes are at all memorable".[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written and arranged by Wynton Marsalis.

Disc one
No.TitleLength
1."Calling the Indians Out" (part 1)5:27
2."Move Over"10:04
3."You Don't Hear No Drums"11:52
4."The Market Place"6:02
5."Soul for Sale"6:07
6."Plantation Coffle March"10:45
7."Work Song (Blood on the Fields)"8:26
Disc two
No.TitleLength
1."Lady's Lament"6:16
2."Flying High"2:04
3."Oh We Have a Friend in Jesus"4:06
4."God Don't Like Ugly"8:06
5."Juba and a O'Brown Squaw"6:07
6."Follow the Drinking Gourd" (part 1)2:21
7."My Soul Fell Down"2:18
8."Forty Lashes"7:30
9."What a Fool I've Been"2:34
10."Back to Basics"11:28
Disc three
No.TitleLength
1."I Hold Out My Hand"7:40
2."Look and See"5:07
3."The Sun Is Gonna Shine" (part 1)2:21
4."Will the Sun Come Out?"9:09
5."The Sun Is Gonna Shine" (part 2)6:45
6."Chant to Call the Indians Out"3:56
7."Calling the Indians Out" (part 2)5:40
8."Follow the Drinking Gourd" (part 2)1:45
9."Freedom Is in the Trying"2:47
10."Due North"5:35
Total length:2:42:18

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b Yanow, Scott. "Blood on the Fields – Wynton Marsalis | Album". AllMusic. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  2. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 951. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  3. ^ a b "Blood on the Fields, by Wynton Marsalis". The Pulitzer Prizes. January 28, 1997. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  4. ^ "Blood on the Fields". Wynton Marsalis Enterprises. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  5. ^ Liner Notes from Blood on the Fields CD set, Columbia Records 1997.
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