SUNDAY, MAY 2ND AT 4:00PM

MARCUS ROBERTS AND THE MODERN JAZZ GENERATION

ST. PAUL’S BY-THE-SEA
EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Marcus Roberts and his famed Trio, fabulous series performers, offer an astounding ending to the 54^th Season with his Modern Jazz Generation in its first appearance at Beaches Fine Arts Series.

SIGNATURE CONCERT SPONSOR

ANONYMOUS

“Ellingtonian grandiosity with modern, complex arrangements, featuring a multigenerational ensemble that emphasizes collective swing over individual solos”. (Jazz Times Review)

Marcus Roberts, piano

Rodney Jordan, bass

Jason Marsalis, drums

The Marcus Roberts Trio

The Marcus Roberts Trio is known for its virtuosic style and entirely new approach to jazz trio performance. While most jazz trios have the piano front and center, all members of the Marcus Roberts Trio share equally in shaping the direction of the music by changing its tempo, mood, texture, or form at any time, and they do this with lightning quick musical reflexes and creative imagination. The trio is known for having almost telepathic communication on the stage, and more than a few concertgoers have been heard to say that it sounds like a lot more than three people up there on the stage!

The Marcus Roberts Trio believes in ‘letting the music take over’ and the result is a powerfully rhythmic and melodic sound that is filled with rhythmic, harmonic, and dynamic contrast. One of the most enjoyable aspects of watching this trio perform is that it is so evident that these three musicians are really having fun playing together and listening to each other.

“One way Roberts individualizes his sound is by utilizing orchestral devices initially borrowed from the Ahmad Jamal Trio. In the course of a single piece, he constantly modulates grooves, tempos and keys, plays separate time signatures with the right hand and the left, and, as he puts it, “flips around the roles of the piano, bass and drums by giving everyone an equal opportunity to develop the concepts and themes, to change the form, to get us where we’re getting ready to go.” (Ted Panken, Jazziz Magazine)

Added to the logic and balanced trio style of Ahmad Jamal, is the swing and virtuosity of the Oscar Peterson Trio, combined with the buoyant joyous sound of Erroll Garner. These influences provide a rich foundation for the ever evolving and expanding sound of the Marcus Roberts Trio. The musical cues combine with musical inspiration from all over the world, which guarantees that audiences never know where this trio is heading; influences from Africa, Europe, and South America are combined with American traditions to give this group an infinite palette of styles, timbres and colors to draw from.

The Modern Jazz Generation

Pianist Marcus Roberts, with his trio members, Jason Marsalis (drums) and Rodney Jordan (bass), founded the Modern Jazz Generation in 2013 but its roots go back much further. This band is based on the principle of mentoring that was such a critical part of the evolution of jazz. Older jazz musicians have always worked with and mentored younger musicians on the stage. Mentoring and education are both critical parts of Marcus Roberts’ musical mission and this new band has been a part of the realization of that mission.

Lynn Moore

Management & Bookings

617-323-3972 

VISUAL ARTIST

DREW HUNTER