
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Paula Phillips, 443-702-7016
TODD MARCUS ORCHESTRA
Wednesday Aug. 12, 2015, 8:00p.m. and 10:00p.m.
BLUES ALLEY, 202-337-4141
1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington Dc 2007
Tickets $25. www.bluesalley.com
EGYPTIAN-AMERICAN BASS CLARINETIST LEADS STELLAR JAZZ ORCHESTRA
“Todd Marcus, the virtuoso bass clarinetist and composer, is a master of straight–ahead jazz.” –The Baltimore Sun, Jan. 2015
“Listeners won’t have any trouble recognizing Marcus’s compelling gifts for composing and arranging.” –The Washington Post
“Marcus is not only one of the great individualists in jazz, he’s also a great composer...” –New York Music Daily
The Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra celebrates the release of the new album Blues for Tahir on Hipnotic Records, released in May 2015. The disc is receiving significant airplay as Marcus garners even more rave reviews for his genre-busting Middle Eastern-influenced jazz. These unique and defining moments in jazz are delivered by a remarkable ensemble: Todd Marcus (bass clarinet), Greg Tardy (tenor), Brent Birkhead (flute & alto), Russell Kirk (alto), Alex Norris (trumpet), Darius Jones (trombone), Bruce Barth (piano), Eric Kennedy (drums), Jeff Reed (bass), and Irene Jalenti (vocals).
The concert will include selections from the new album. Influenced by his Egyptian-American heritage and inspired by the Arab Spring movement in Egypt, Marcus creates music that merges classical Middle Eastern harmonies and motifs with American jazz. As in most Marcus lead programs, the Blues Alley concert will also feature some straight-ahead standards delivered in new arrangements.
Todd Marcus is one of the few artists worldwide to focus on the bass clarinet as a main instrument in modern jazz with his large and small ensembles. His straight-ahead playing swings with fiery and introspective intensity and a strong lyrical sensibility. Since the early 2000s, Marcus has won accolades for his novel use of the clarinet and for his unique compositions.
Based in Baltimore, he has worked with Bennie Maupin, Don Byron, Larry Willis, Odean Pope, Tim Warfield, Xavier Davis, Mike Formanek, Gary Thomas, and Helen Sung. He was the 2014 winner of Charm City’s prestigious Baker Artist Award, and his 2012 album, Inheritance, was selected by NPR as one of the top 10 albums of the year. In October of 2015, Marcus will be performing in the Cairo Jazz Festival in Cairo, Egypt, and November 12 in the SF Jazz Center series at Grace Cathedral.
Blues Alley is located in the heart of Georgetown at 1073 Wisconsin Ave NE, Washington, D.C. 20007. Tickets are $25; reserve in advance at www.bluesalley.com or call 202-337-4141.
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