Blues Symphony postponed once more

Wynton Marsalis and the ASO in November. (Frank Stewart)

The latest somewhat surprising but not really surprising news: the full premiere of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis' seven-movement Blues Symphony, a co-commission with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has been delayed again. The ASO will perform movements II-VI at the King Celebration Concert tomorrow at Morehouse College. Movements III and IV were performed in November at symphony hall.

When asked when the full premiere will take place, Laura Soldati, a press person for the ASO, said, "I have no news on that yet."

I've been following this story since it was announced way back in ... what was it? ... early 2008? ... that Wynton Marsalis would be premiering an all-symphonic work with the ASO. First it was called American Symphony, and it was six movements, then it expanded to seven and was dubbed Blues Symphony. Marsalis and the ASO have now postponed the premiere of the full work four times; each postponement (especially the last one) was followed by fresh stories and Internet comments. The multiple changes in this dizzying saga have been recorded here and here. These delays are somewhat maddening, but I'll still be in the audience tomorrow night to see how the piece is shaping up.

A King Celebration Concert. Thursday; 8 p.m. King International Chapel, Morehouse College. $25.