The message that Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis’ is sending in their new single doesn’t mince words. “Everybody Wear They Mask” was composed by Marsalis and recorded at orchestra members’ homes in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, Texas, and Iowa during quarantine.
The song is the band’s call for everyone to do their civic duty and use face coverings in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19. And for those who don’t want to wear a mask, the song has a slightly more pointed message: “Why you gotta be like that?”
Please, wear a mask.
Some of jazz legend Mynton Marsalis’ best work of the last four decades has been influenced by socio-cultural and political issues. In 1985, his Black Codes (From the Underground) won a Grammy, in 1996, Blood on the Fields became the first jazz piece ever to win a Pultzier Prize, All Rise was performed by Symphonic Orchestras all across the world in 2002, and in 2007, From the Plantation to the Penitentiary was said to “[reveal] some important truth about this country with a lot of anger and heart.” It seems only fitting that now, during this historical time of national protest, Wynton Marsalis release a new work that reflects on these human rights issues.
“The Ever Fonky Lowdown” directly addresses the racism, deception, and greed that clouds the country’s chances of human rights for all and pushes us further away from democracy. It was written in 2018 to combat human suffering and exploitation on the universal scale, but is now, in 2020, more topical than ever. The album’s narrator, “Mr. Game,” says it himself: “We are here tonight, but this is an international hustle. It has played out many times across time and space and is not specific to any language or race. It takes on different flavors according to people’s taste, but always ends up in the same old place.” These issues have been happening to countless all throughout history, and it is time to strip away the distractions to attack the injustice’s sources directly.
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