Welcome to “The Jungle”
What does it sound like to put the heartbeat of a city into music? To capture the complexity of a metropolis where dazzling energy, deep inequalities, collision and connection live side by side? That’s the ambition behind Wynton Marsalis’s Symphony No. 4, “The Jungle,” and it’s coming to life in a one-of-a-kind collaboration, Friday, February 6 in Hill Auditorium. Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will be joined by the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Kenneth Kiesler.
Commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and premiered in 2016, “The Jungle” is one of Marsalis’s most daring works: a full-length symphony scored for “jazz ensemble and symphony orchestra” that draws its inspiration from New York City’s vibrant, turbulent, electrifying pulse.
A Musical Mosaic of City Life
Marsalis has said that New York is “the most fluid, pressure-packed, and cosmopolitan metropolis the modern world has ever seen,” and “The Jungle” is his musical portrait of a dense mosaic of cultural collisions and contradictions.
Rather than a conventional symphony rooted purely in classical traditions, “The Jungle” blurs boundaries. It weaves big band jazz rhythms, blues inflections, improvised passages, and orchestral color into a tapestry that evokes both the grit and the romance of the city. The symphony unfolds in six movements, each capturing a different facet of urban life:
The Big Scream (Black Elk Speaks) — an explosive opening that feels like the voice of the city itself
The Big Show — a movement that revels in spectacle and restless motion
Lost in Sight (Post-Pastoral) — a reflective interlude amidst frenetic activity
La Esquina – a nod to the multicultural corners that make urban neighborhoods come alive
Us – a moment of shared humanity and collective voice
Struggle in the Digital Market – a driving, incisive finale that speaks to competitive modern life
Together, these movements paint an immersive sonic world that’s equal parts raw energy and deep reflection, as a soundtrack for the modern condition.
A Meditation on Humanity
Beyond its musical innovation, “The Jungle” is a work with social conscience. As Marsalis himself has noted, it doesn’t shy away from paradoxes of urban life: the wealth alongside poverty, hope tinged with struggle, and the pressing question of how we live together in an increasingly complex world.
In a time when many of us think about cities not only as physical spaces but as crossroads of culture, conflict, aspiration, and imagination, “The Jungle” feels deeply relevant as a sonic exploration of society itself.
Experience It Live
“The Jungle” has been performed only a handful of times in the United States since its premiere. Its ferocity, precision, and soul will be on display in this live performance at Hill Auditorium on Friday February 6, 2026.
Tickets start at just $16 (+ fees); $15-20 student tickets available.
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