Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play The Blues – Friday, April 8, 2011 – Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center New York

Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play The Blues – Friday, April 8, 2011 – Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Lincoln Center New York

Same setlist as yesterday.

Setlist
01. Ice Cream
02, Forty-Four
03. Joe Turner’s Blues
04. The Last Time
05. Careless Love
06. Kidman Blues
07. Layla
08, Joliet Bound
09. Just A Closer Walk With Thee (with Taj Mahal)
Encore:
10. Corrine, Corrina (with Taj Mahal)

The band
Trumpet -Wynton Marsalis
Guitar, Vocals – Eric Clapton
Trumpet – Marcus Printup
Trombone – Chris Crenshaw
Clarinet – Victor Goines
Piano – Dan Zimmer
Bass – Carlos Henriquez
Drums – Alan Jackson
Keyboards – Chris Stainton
Banjo – Don Vappie

Special Guest
Guitar, Vocals – Taj Mahal

Reviews
Rolling Stone – Eric Clapton, Wynton Marsalis Play the Blues in New York City

For Clapton, it was more like homecoming. At one point in the evening, he paused to reminisce: “I used to say to all the bluesmen I met, ‘I’m just doing this until I get a gig with a jazz band.'”
He played with this one like he belonged.

Blloomberg – Clapton, Marsalis Play Blues for Jazz at Lincoln Center: Review

It was a blues summit years in the making.

When trumpeter Wynton Marsalis first approached guitar legend Eric Clapton about joining forces to raise money for Jazz at Lincoln Center, he said Clapton “showed up with a song list of 2,000 numbers.”

The fruits of that cross-generational, cross-cultural collaboration were on display last night before a packed house at the center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall.

The two virtuosos swung through a blues compendium that ranged from Louis Armstrong’s “I’m Not Rough” to W.C. Handy’s “Careless Love.” They also played gospel music (“Just a Closer Walk With Thee”) and even an unplugged “Layla” unlike any I’ve ever heard.

The music was marked by a seriousness of purpose and lack of ego that allowed the pair to disappear into a superb ensemble drawn from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Even when they let loose, it was with considerable restraint and lack of flash, though Clapton briefly caught fire on Howlin’ Wolf’s “Forty Four.”

A standout in the band was Victor Goines, a soulful New Orleans clarinetist whose joyful, intricate reed work recalled the ebullient Pete Fountain. Marcus Printup was a bold challenge to the boss on trumpet and trombonist Chris Crenshaw slid in and out of the action with uncommon finesse.

For the rousing finale and encore they were joined by gravel-voiced blues polymath Taj Mahal, who had opened the concert with three songs that showed off his still-formidable guitar and piano playing skills, including his signature cover of the classic “Stagger Lee.”

Rating: ****
What the Stars Mean:
**** Excellent
*** Very Good
** Average

Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton – April 7, 2011 Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images North America

Photos of last night’s show – Zimbio