PITCH PERFECT: WYNTON MARSALIS ON STYLE
Jazz at Lincoln Center Managing and Artistic Director—and jazz legend—Wynton Marsalis starts his day at the ironing board, touching up his suit and dress shirt. Even when he’s not playing on the Rose Hall concert stage at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, Marsalis goes about his day in a Brooks Brothers suit […]
Jazz at
Lincoln Center Managing and Artistic Director—and jazz legend—Wynton Marsalis
starts his day at the ironing board, touching up his suit and dress shirt. Even
when he’s not playing on the Rose Hall concert stage at Jazz at Lincoln Center
in New York City, Marsalis goes about his day in a Brooks Brothers suit and
tie. Suits have become his signature, dating back to his musical upbringing in
the nineteenth-century birthplace of jazz music, New Orleans.
As Jazz at
Lincoln Center’s official clothing sponsor, Brooks Brothers takes pride in
dressing Marsalis and the entire Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with the
suits, shirts, ties and tuxedos that reflect their classic yet individual taste
while encouraging an unforgettable performance. Every few months, our tailors
assess and refit the suits of every musician to ensure the Italian fabrics are
able to withstand wrinkling, dry-cleaning and, of course, the demanding
performances while on the road.
“It’s important for us to create a wardrobe that looks stylish
on stage and is also practical for their touring season,” says Robin Ibekwe
from Brooks Brothers’ public relations department. Ibekwe works directly with
the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, who played a
prominent part in Brooks Brothers’ 200th anniversary celebration in 2018.
“I’ve
performed in a suit my whole life,” says the 58-year-old trumpeter, who swears
by the jazz standard of Sunday-best attire. “I’ve got to be clean, clean
as Emma Jean,” Marsalis banters. “I’m walking down the street and guys ask me
‘Where can I get one of those suits?’ ”
The nine-time
Grammy Award-winning Marsalis continues to reign as the leader and musical
director of America’s most revered jazz band since he initiated it decades ago.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis is the resident
orchestra of the not-for-profit Jazz at Lincoln Center and features 15 of the
world’s finest soloists, ensemble players and arrangers who collaboratively
practice their art with seamless coordination. Every season, these celebrated
musicians light up concert stages in New York and around the world with their
soaring jazz renditions, blending classical and international influences in
Brooks Brothers suits, French cuffs and silk striped ties. “Elegance is part of
our artistic presentation,” Marsalis says.
Lately, band
members have steered toward Made to Measure trousers with an adjustable
side-tab waist that allows for a beltless, streamlined look, and many prefer
pleats.
“We like to be uniform, but there’s also room for personal
expression — we aren’t robots,” says Marsalis. Trombonists require wider suit
sleeves for sliding their arms back and forth with a wingspan of five feet,
while percussionist Charles Goold, who played with the Orchestra last fall, had
shirts and jackets cut shorter to avoid winding up with his sticks in his
sleeves. Lightweight, breathable Performance
Non-Iron Dress Shirts keep the players looking
crisp during vigorous, sweat-inducing two-hour performances, and a button-down
collar keeps things firmly in place. And, in case cuff links go missing, our
tailors sew hidden buttons into their cuffs to ensure they’re always fastened.
“We go on the road, we
might bring a blue suit, a black suit, a gray suit, with different color
shirts, and we change them for every gig. When you look good, you play well,”
says Marsalis. Navy, black and gray pinstripes reign as the suit colors for
performances — reading more sharply than neutral khakis and browns on stage, in
front of the camera and on television.
“The main thing we
share with Brooks Brothers is that we are both classic and in the present.”
When the
players receive a colorful array of silk ties from our Long Island
City, Queens, factory each season, Marsalis opts for a bold color to complement
his suspenders — a blend of tradition and personal flair.
“The main thing we share with Brooks Brothers is that we are both classic and in the present,” explains Marsalis. “We both have a deep tradition that we are proud of, that we don’t run from. We continue to build on that legacy with new things that aren’t fads,” he says. The one thing he’s never without? His signature single-breasted trench coat in crisp navy blue.
Brooks Brothers Vietnam:
- HCM: L1 – 19 & 20, Saigon Centre, 65 Le Loi, District
1 – ☎ (028) 3939 0477
- Hanoi:
31 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem Ward – ☎ (024)
3266 8206
