Jazz Articles about Marcus Strickland

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Marcus Strickland: Twi-Life

by Mark F. Turner
June 16, 2006

Marcus Strickland Quartets Twi-Life Strick Muzik 2006 Marcus Strickland is one of today's brightest young saxophone stars, still unfamiliar to many listeners. Rejecting the easy option of reheating jazz music's past glories, he's intent on following his own path.

Strickland's track record over the past few years has been impressive. He's learnt from elder statesman Michael Carvin (Marsalis Music), recorded with trumpeter Dave Douglas (on Keystone) and drummer Jeff “Tain" Watts ...

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Marcus Strickland Quartets: Twi-Life

by Jeff Stockton
May 25, 2006

It's telling that the first cut on disc one of Twi-Life is a Wayne Shorter cover. Marcus Strickland's acoustic quartet seems to draw inspiration from Shorter's classic Blue Note years and the contemporary Footprints Live band. And while this group doesn't quite reach that level of excitement or create as much dramatic tension, it comes close on the best performances here. Strickland even doubles successfully on soprano for a few tunes, a move that even Shorter himself has a tough ...

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Dave Douglas: Keystone

by AAJ Italy Staff
February 2, 2006

Le strategie sonore di Dave Douglas si semplificano in questi anni recenti, nella dialettica tra quintetto acustico e gruppo elettrico, gruppi eccellenti curati con particolare meticolosita'. Escono ora per la Greenleaf, diretta in proprio, due CD in contemporanea: questo Keystone, ed un “live" del vecchio quintetto col repertorio di The Infinite. Keystone e' pensato come sonorizzazione di un'opera del regista Roscoe Arbuckle, grande autore dell'epoca del muto, ingiustamente sottovalutato anche alla luce di una condanna penale che lo escluse da ...

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Dave Douglas: Keystone

by Michael McCaw
November 7, 2005

Keystone is an incredibly mature-sounding album from Dave Douglas--not because his work up till now has not been complete, but because he has fully integrated the technology and mode of the music first espoused by Miles Davis. Yet he has moved beyond that reference point and created a group sound that is thoroughly modern and doesn't need to push itself to musical extremes to demonstrate mastery.Dedicated to and inspired by early film comic Fatty Arbuckle, Keystone uses the ...

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Dave Douglas: Keystone

by John Kelman
September 14, 2005

Paradoxically consistent yet somehow unpredictable, trumpeter Dave Douglas is an artistic rarity. Even when he records a followup to an existing project, you know it's going to be an evolution which throws in some surprises. Last year's Strange Liberation may have been a sequel to 2002's The Infinite, but the addition of Bill Frisell inspired new tactics, both compositionally and in performance.

Douglas' new disc, Keystone, has some precedence in his electronica-informed 2003 release, Freak In. Like that record, however, ...

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Marcus Strickland: Brotherhood

by AAJ Staff
October 16, 2003

Look out for saxophonist Marcus Strickland. He's young, he's talented, and he already delivers the goods. His latest CD, Brotherhood, makes the case that he's got a lot to say. It's a varied set that ranges from burning post-bop and modal jazz to a gospel-influenced reflection on 9/11 and spirituality.

Strickland plays both tenor and soprano sax, improvising with a combination of power and finesse, and he never forgets to swing. His tenor sound is quite individualistic, ...

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The Marcus Strickland Quartet: At Last

by Ken Hohman
March 1, 2002

If Marcus Strickland's blossoming artistry were judged on his sound alone, he would still merit the attention of the jazz community. That he is also a thoughtful composer and galvanizing force for a crack quartet of spirited young musicians are all the more reason to watch his every move.

Strickland possesses a gorgeous, soft tone on tenor that holds true even during his most complex linear explorations. He is influenced by Wayne Shorter and Joe Henderson, but while ...