Wynton Marsalis' Abyssinian Mass CD Featuring Damien Sneed Set To Release March 18

Blue Engine Records will release Wynton Marsalis’ critically acclaimed Abyssinian Mass disc featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra along with Damien Sneed and Chorale LeChateau on March 18th.

Marsalis wrote the Mass in 2008 in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church. In 2013, the JALC Orchestra joined Marsalis on a 16 city tour pairing the orchestra with the multi talented Damien Sneed and his 70 voice Chorale LeChateau for 19 concerts that stretched across the east and the south.   Marsalis shared these sentiments:”Many of the greatest jazz musicians today come out of the church. The church is one of the last places that retain the actual feeling of the blues in sound and also the call-and-response rituals that are central to our music”. “The principal fact of The Abyssinian Mass – the feeling that we want you to come away with – is uplift through the way that we all come together.”

In addition to the 2 discs covering 20 musical offerings, the Abyssinian Mass includes a bonus documentary DVD featuring performances, interviews and insights behind the music.