A consistent strand running through Marsalis' vast discography is the ‘issues record’, with both historical references and topical resonances. Draw the line from Black Codes Of The Underground to Blood On The Fields to From The Plantation To The Penitentiary, among others. This new offering sees the trumpeter-composer-director of Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra hold forth on no less a subject than the state of the modern world plagued by age old evils such as the abuse of power, corporate greed, bigotry and cult of personality. Inevitably, the seemingly intractable, not to mention pressing question, of race relations features in a BLM-era work. Musically, the continuity with Blood… and From The Plantation… is strong, above all in the lyrical barbs thrown in the direction of a merciless modern-day civilisation defined by the individual – ‘I Don't Care About Nobody But Myself’ – rather than the community. The character of ‘Mr Game’, who crops up throughout, symbolizes this regression. As is to be expected the echoes of Ellington mark the potent, often vocalised brass scores, several of which are set to Latin rhythms and swing, but Marsalis has on occasion opted for a hard-hitting backbeat, cooking up a ‘fonky nastay’ ambiance which acts as a sonic reinforcement of the moral decay evoked.

Jazzwise talks to Wynton Marsalis about the album

The album looks at the state of America and the world today and has trenchant social comment. Was there a specific trigger for it?

It addresses the timeless cycle and methods used by an elite to exploit their fellow citizens in order to acquire, expand and maintain power. In the words of Mr. Game himself, “We are here tonight, but this is an international hustle. It has played out many times across time and space, and is not specific to any language or race. It takes on different flavours according to people's taste, but always ends up in the same old place.” The diversity of people across the world and our advanced tools of communication offer us an unprecedented opportunity to collaborate and exponentially enrich our experience of life through collective creativity. Fear, greed and ignorance give some of us the intense desire to dominate. Whether it is the cradle of civilization or the home of the brave and the land of the free when you lift up the covers what do you see? Wealth upon wealth upon wealth built upon a foundation of peonage, deception, and absolute slaughter. It fits today because this cycle is timeless.

You've also addressed political and historical issues on Blood On The Fields and From The Plantation To The Penitentiary. Do you feel it's important to make this kind of record on a fairly regular basis, or is it just a case of reacting to what you see around you?

Absolutely. I react to what is happening around me, and our experiences. I come from a continuum of musicians who composed works that reflect their times: Coltrane, Mingus, Abbey Lincoln, the list goes on. These are issues that have affected human beings since the beginning of time, and these age-old issues that have been happening around the world.

You present several versions of the title track in a variety of time signatures. What was the thinking there?

The different time signatures reflect the changes Mr. Game takes you through to hustle you.

How do you feel about the arrival of Covid-19 and the simultaneous global expansion of the Black Lives Matter movement?

I believe that the everyday tragedies that are commonplace and routine to our everyday way of living, should be addressed when they happen, not when so much pressure has built up in the system that it must be let out. It's also much more difficult to draw a crowd every day for the sanctioned and accepted forms of corruption and disrespect of Black Americans that are shouted from countless recordings and videos and even more powerfully whispered in the form of discriminatory laws, practices and procedures that result in unfair housing and employment practices, and more tragically, lengthy unjust prison sentences.

How important is the forthcoming US presidential election?

These are the most critical six weeks of our lives. I've told my students to use this time to pay attention to the news, read about what comes out of Congress, get engaged and re-think our fundamental beliefs. The Ever Fonky Lowdown concludes with we must have a deeper level of involvement in the life of our largest identifiable community.