In early 1964, Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic staged a series of Young People's Concerts at Lincoln Center that married storytelling with different forms of music, including classical, jazz and folk. The point was to narrate original children's stories on stage while the New York Philharmonic and guest musicians illustrated the drama.
On Saturday, Feb. 8, 1964—between the Friday the Beatles arrived in the U.S. and the Sunday when they performed on the Ed Sullivan Show—the concert series took on jazz. An original adaptation of Peter and the Wolf written by Nat Hentoff (above) was narrated by conductor Leonard Bernstein while jazz composed and arranged by Gunther Schuller was performed by Don Ellis (trumpet), Benny Golson (tenor saxophone), Eric Dolphy (alto saxophone), Richard Davis (bass) and Joseph Cocuzzo (drums). [Photo from YouTube]
Here's the jazz ensemble...
To view the entire concert, which was broadcast on TV that March, start with Part 1 here (the remaining four parts will follow)...
JazzWax note: You'll find more information about this concert at the Leonard Bernstein site here.
