Jazz Articles about Marcus Roberts

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Marcus Roberts: The Music of Jelly Roll Morton

by Nick Catalano
June 1, 2012

In the midst of Jazz at Lincoln Center's May celebration of New Orleans music, Marcus Roberts and his trio, accompanied by a choir of horns, constructed a tribute to Jelly Roll Morton. The concert featured classic Morton compositions performed with some enterprising improvisations.Morton's importance as a jazz pioneer cannot be overstated, and the extent of his contributions is being studied properly under the microscope of Jazz at Lincoln Center. His breakthrough stride pianism, his introduction of Latin (tango, ...

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Marcus Roberts: Has A Lot More To Do

by Tod Smith
May 12, 2009

With a foundation in the church and a passion for America's music, Marcus Roberts is easily one of the most prolific pianists of his generation. Hailing from Jacksonville, Florida and influenced by the early exposure to his mother's gospel singing, he decided that he wanted to be a jazz pianist after listening to the music of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Mary Lou Williams and others on the radio. A student of classical piano at Florida State University, Roberts joined the ...

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Marcus Roberts: The Truth is Spoken Here

by Marc Minsker
January 24, 2005

Wynton Marsalis is one of the most talented trumpet players on the scene today. Unfortunately, he's also one of the most egotistical musicians out there. As an unofficial “spokesman for jazz," Wynton has helped to promote jazz throughout the world, but he's personally done very little to innovate the art form. This is unfortunate because jazz is all about transformation and change.

Perhaps his greatest contribution to the music is his support of young and upcoming musicians like Marcus Roberts. ...

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Marcus Roberts: Blues For The New Millennium

by AAJ Staff
December 1, 1997

An old saying claims that the acorn never falls far from the tree. In the world of jazz, that doesn't always hold, but more often than not, it lands at least within shouting distance. Take the case of Marcus Roberts for example. As Wynton Marsalis's pianist of choice for much of the 80's and into the early 90's, Roberts worked extensively with Marsalis until branching out on his own in the mid 90's. From there though, Roberts didn't move very ...