The vernacular elements sounded freshest when Mr. Marsalis folded them into passages of symphonic mass, with thick, pungent chords and boldly fractured phrases.

Bernstein’s first three musicals got revelatory symphonic treatments thanks to illuminating conducting in semi-staged performances.

His development of symphonic jazz and his association with George Gershwin, from whom he commissioned “Rhapsody in Blue,” left a permanent mark on American music.