Over the past several weeks, we've seen a certain correlation: the more recent an album is, the more it seems to depart from "traditional" jazz, in favour of pushing the boundaries or incorporating other genres. Marsalis Standard Time, Volume 1 bucks that trend: despite being first released in 1987 (a mere 38 years ago…), there's no bells and whistles here, nor is there even a hint of fusion: this is just old-school jazz, baby.

What I didn't know during my first listen is that this approach is very characteristic of Marsalis. He's a staunch traditionalist in the world of jazz, a proponent of "straight-ahead" jazz. Accordingly, on this album Marsalis picks a number of standards and brings them to us with exacting precision. In other weeks, we've heard original compositions that are clearly the works of an auteur intent on moving the art as a whole forward; by contrast, Marsalis is content to simply add his take on tried-and-true tunes. For me, the result is more reminiscent of classical music than anything else: the compositions themselves are taken to be fixed, and we instead are interested in a performer's personal interpretation of them.¹ And just like classical music, the contemporary listener benefits from advances in recording technology; the tracks here are crisp and clear, unlike some of the earlier albums we've heard. Overall, Marsalis and his band produce wonderful results here, and I think there is value in some musicians focusing on excellent performances of "no-nonsense" works. But I can't endorse his philosophy as a whole—in a world with only Marsalians, wouldn't jazz become a dog chasing its tail, celebrating where it's been without having anywhere to go?

But let's set ideological quarrels aside, because this week we've got just enough contenders for our first-ever… Standards Showdown! Part of the culture and tradition of jazz is a shared songbook of "standards" that are routinely covered by performers. After 24 albums, we've got enough overlap that I thought it would be fun to put Marsalis's recordings head-to-head against some others.

"April in Paris" vs. Garner

I'll be honest: when I first listened to these side-by-side, I couldn't tell they were supposed to be based on the same tune. After comparing to some other recordings, it seems to me that Garner was pretty liberal with his ornamentation. Not that he's the first to do so, mind you—Count Basie's Orchestra smuggled "Pop! Goes the Weasel" into their cover?? To my ear, Marsalis is truer to the heart of the tune, and for that, he takes the first point.

Note: "April in Paris" was also on the Helen Merrill album we heard, but since she sings hers, I'll exclude it in the interest of trying to keep an apples-to-apples comparison.

Winner: Marsalis

"[A] Foggy Day" vs. Benson

No disrespect to any of the great crooners, but I've always preferred the energy of Benson's up-tempo, snappy take on this one. However, I can't help but find the lyrics themselves so cheesy.² Marsalis, by contrast, get to have his cake and eat it too: he takes that earworm melody and spins it out instrumentally for a full seven-and-a-half minutes. All the fun, with none of the cheese—notch a second point for Marsalis. (It's an especially meaningful win for Marsalis, because Benson was one of the poster boys for the "corruption" of jazz, with his pop stylings.)

Winner: Marsalis

"Autumn Leaves" vs. Garner

I am a sucker for the drama with which Garner suffuses this one: when that left hand comes crashing in like the waves against the shore at his Concert by the Sea, it gets me every time. While I do love the tug-of-war between the fast and slow tempi at the start of Marsalis's take, it never reaches the same emotional highs for me. Garner wins the rematch, preventing a Marsalis sweep!

Winner: Garner

Two out of three ain't bad, Marsalis—a solid showing indeed for the inaugural Standards Showdown. A couple final tidbits of trivia to close us out:

• Marsalis is an alum of Jazz Messengers—and that's not the first time we've seen a connection Art Blakey's group.
• Marsalis is one of the only artists we've heard who is still actively performing. In fact, he's currently on tour.

Favourite track: Caravan