Through extremely heated discussions, an advisory committee established a list of over 60 KU basketball luminaries before paring it down to 15. Our work within the KU community then began in earnest. Wynton and JALC’s Concerts & Touring team agreed to pursue what would eventually become Rock Chalk Suite. So, in 2015, we pitched the idea of commissioning each member of the JLCO to compose a movement in a collective suite honoring 15 KU basketball luminaries. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas observed, “If you love basketball if you love and respect the history of the game, every road leads back to Lawrence, Kansas.”Īs a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center family since 2000, I knew many members of the JLCO loved hoops, was aware of David Stern’s service on the board,Īnd had heard Wynton philosophize about the parallels between jazz and basketball.

For the vast network of Kansas Jayhawks worldwide, there is a singular reverence for the sport. To avoid commissioning a piece that would be mostly forgotten after its premiere,we found inspiration in KU basketball. It was decided that an anchor of this milestone season would be the debut of a new work. 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.ĪS WE PREPARED to celebrate the Lied Center’s 25th anniversary throughout the 2018–2019 season, our goal was to create an indelible sense of community. 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.

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. 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.

It’s been said that basketball is like jazz-but Rock Chalk Suite takes the comparison to another level entirely.

Dan mason partly saxophone sheet music