Wynton Marsalis joins the Michigan Marching Band

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) – Wynton Marsalis has done pretty much everything in the music world.

One thing he hasn’t done, however, is pair his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with a college marching band — until now.

“I’ve never seen a jazz band like ours play with a marching band where the actual music we play is integrated into the music of the band,” Marsalis said at one of his many stops this week in Ann Arbor. where the Grammy and Pulitzer winner is taking part in a week-long residency at the University of Michigan.

On Thursday, Marsalis, 60, and members of the JLCO entered the Michigan Marching Band’s practice field to rehearse for Saturday’s show. They will be playing during the Michigan Football Team’s game against Penn State at the 107,000-seat Michigan Stadium.

The legendary trumpeter opened the rehearsal with a solo that was met with thunderous applause from those who filled the field. Afterwards, Marsalis was surrounded by band members and others patiently waiting to pose for a photo with him.

The University Musical Society, a non-profit organization affiliated with the University of Michigan and one of the oldest performing arts presenters in the country, brought Marsalis and his orchestra to Southeast Michigan for the residency. It includes two concerts at the school’s Hill Auditorium, as well as masterclasses and workshops, as well as a performance for K-12 students and a visit to a federal prison.

And of course the halftime show at the Big House.

“Hope you win the game. We know the music is going to be good,” Marsalis toasted Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel during a lecture and discussion earlier in the week at the Michigan Theater.

“That’s the plan,” Manuel said.