As a musician and composer, it could be said that Wynton Marsalis is regarded the world over as jazz royalty. Nowhere, however (next to his native New Orleans), is he revered more adoringly than the village of Marciac, France. The trumpeter returns here each summer to perform, teach, and live among the people who celebrate his greatness with such tributes as a life-sized bronze statue in his likeness. Marsalis reciprocates here with the 13-part jazz epic THE MARCIAC SUITE.

The SUITE is gargantuan in scope. The individual movements, through texture, rhythm, and dramatic expression, paint a picture of the French hamlet that has hosted a renowned jazz festival for two decades. Marsalis expresses the joy of performing ("The Big Top"), the spirited local people ("Marciac Fun"), and the particular individuals who make it possible for jazz to flourish here ("Jean-Louis Is Everywhere," "Guy Lafitte"). The septet's performance is superb, pulling off Marsalis's difficult epic with stunning accuracy and expression. As a finale, Wynton Marsalis leaves us with a musical image of the natural beauty that awaits all who arrive at Marciac: vast fields of "Sunflowers."