Wynton Marsalis is without doubt one of the most talented, well-respected and high-profile jazz musicians alive today. Born in New Orleans into a family of jazz musicians including his father and three brothers, and learning his trade with the likes of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, trumpet virtuoso Marsalis was a rarity to these shores until last year, busy as he was with running the Lincoln Jazz Centre and his responsibilities as a UN Messenger of Peace. Thus, a gig in lowly Bristol was such an unlikely event that it was no surprise to see the Colston Hall absolutely packed to the rafters.

Marsalis led the 15-piece big band in a rousing opening; a mixture of jazz standards and original compositions – another thing at which he excels. The band comprised four trumpets (including Marsalis) three trombones, five saxophones, piano, bass and drums. The musicians, a virtual who’s’-who of contemporary American jazz, were refreshingly varied both in age and race; rightfully maintaining the wide appeal and melting-pot heritage of jazz music. Between numbers Marsalis’s understated, dry humour came out as from behind the band (the trumpet section is always at the back) he introduced the next tune. Throughout the concert Marsalis maintained a relatively low-key performance – aware that 99% of the audience were there just to catch a glimpse of him, Wynton never took on the role of frontman, or indulged in any form of arrogance or showing-off - other than his exuberant, jaw-dropping trumpet cadenzas, he remained simply a part of the band. His humble, honest attitude to the show left a big impact on the audience. Whilst the other musicians took solos, Marsalis would grin, and nod his head with appreciation – this is clearly a man who appreciates the music of others as well as his own. The first half culminated with a wonderful rendition of John Coltrane's classic arrangement of ‘My Favourite Things’, a legendary jazz number. This brought the audience to its feet, and the band left the stage to raucous applause.

To kick off the second act, only seven musicians emerged – the rhythm section plus trombone, sax, clarinet, and of course Marsalis on trumpet. This small group then played two pieces of authentic New Orleans jazz – 1920s style. During this section of the concert the soloists really came to the fore; most notably Wes Anderson (sax) Richard Johnson (piano) and Herlin Riley, whose drum solos shook the Colston Hall to its foundations. The rest of the band emerged to join in with a Charlie Mingus cover, Meditation for Integration, a complex, quite avant-garde piece which was appreciated by some of the more high-brow sensibilities of the experienced jazzers in the audience. This was followed by more standards, notably a gentle, quiet Duke Ellington cover which featured the fabulous Joe Temperley in a very moving bass clarinet solo. With a flourish, and one of Marsalis’s own compositions, the band ended the performance on a high note. During this piece Marsalis really took centre stage, blowing a fantastic solo which included ‘laughing’ down his trumpet and ‘crying’ amusingly with his mute. At the end another trumpeter, Seneca Black, took a solo in which consisted of ridiculously high notes, each one more screeching than the last, which drew rapturous applause. Marsalis led the band off to a huge ovation, but was forced to return twice and give three encore numbers before the Colston Hall would let him go.

Wynton Marsalis has drawn a good deal of criticism in recent years due to his policy of looking to the history of jazz for his material rather than forging a new path for the music. It has been said that valid jazz should reflect its social surroundings and be progressive. Marsalis argues that people enjoy hearing older music just as much as new, and on the basis of this concert…he’s damn right.

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