Home » Jazz Articles » Michael Marcus

Jazz Articles about Michael Marcus

2

Radio & Podcasts

Michael Marcus, Forest Chorus, Joao Lencastre & Perelman/Shipp

Read "Michael Marcus, Forest Chorus, Joao Lencastre & Perelman/Shipp" reviewed by Maurice Hogue


Europe's improvised scene is well-represented in this edition of One Man's Jazz with samplings of new releases by Forest Chorus which feature the great multi-reedist from Finland, Mikko Innanen, Portguese drummer Joao Lencastre & Communion, and three women artists making lots of waves: bassist Silvia Bolognesi from Italy, French pianist Cécille Cappozzo and German drummer Eva Klesse. Three veteran saxophonists also have interesting new releases: Michael Marcus, Daniel Carter (with Green Soul) and Ivo Perelman with Matthew Shipp. And some ...

9

Album Review

Blue Reality Quartet: Blue Reality Quartet!

Read "Blue Reality Quartet!" reviewed by John Sharpe


Back in 2001 when reedman Michael Marcus' trio waxed a disc under the title Blue Reality (Soulnote, 2002), he could scarcely have imagined the circumstances under which he might resurrect the name. As the four masked faces on the cover of Blue Reality Quartet! show, times are sadly very different. Joining Marcus in the studio in November 2020 are and drummer Jay Rosen from the original date, multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee and percussionist Warren Smith. A plethora of connections informs the ...

543

Live Review

Duology + 2 at the London Jazz Festival

Read "Duology + 2 at the London Jazz Festival" reviewed by John Sharpe


Duology + 2 Cafe OtoLondonNovember, 13, 2009

The opening night of the London Jazz Festival provided a rare opportunity to hear clarinetist Michael Marcus and trumpeter Ted Daniel--two seasoned, but unsung denizens of the New York scene--in the intimate surroundings of Dalston's Cafe Oto.

Marcus made his debut with the blues bands of Albert King and Bobby “Blue" Bland, before becoming a prominent figure in the free jazz scene from the 1980s onward ...

343

Album Review

Michael Marcus: Lotus Symphony

Read "Lotus Symphony" reviewed by John Sharpe


Improvisers who concentrate on the clarinet are a select bunch, perhaps something to do with the difficulty of navigating its tricky three registers--a far cry from the early days of jazz when the clarinet's cry was integral to Dixieland and swing ensembles. Multi-instrumentalist Michael Marcus has only lately joined that coterie lost in the licorice stick's possibilities, saying in a 2007 interview , “I find it easier now to fulfill some of my thoughts with the clarinet, through musical articulations ...

289

Multiple Reviews

Michael Marcus: Lotus Symphony, Free Within The Law & Duology

Read "Michael Marcus: Lotus Symphony, Free Within The Law & Duology" reviewed by Marc Medwin


Michael MarcusLotus SymphonyNot Two2008 The CosmosamaticsFree Within The LawNot Two2008 DuologyGolden AtomsSoul Note2008 Saxophonist and clarinetist Michael Marcus further establishes his versatility with these three recent releases. In various instrumental configurations and featuring long-time collaborators, these are diverse discs where craft and commitment merge to create ...

454

Album Review

Michael Marcus: Lotus Symphony

Read "Lotus Symphony" reviewed by Troy Collins


A criminally under-sung multi-instrumentalist, Michael Marcus' collaborations with Ted Daniel, Frank Lowe, and Sonny Simmons over the past two decades have yielded some of the most enduring and adventurous sounds in modern jazz. A soulful stylist on soprano, alto, and baritone saxophone, Marcus is also an advocate of the more esoteric members of the saxophone family, such as the manzello, stritch, and saxello (all originally popularized by Rahsaan Roland Kirk).

Lately however, Marcus has abandoned doubling in order ...

325

Album Review

Michael Marcus: Lotus Symphony

Read "Lotus Symphony" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza


Michael Marcus is a multi-instrumentalist who has shown mettle on the manzello, the stritch, the saxello, as well as the alto, baritone and soprano saxophones and the clarinet. He has recently been gravitating towards the clarinet and has played solely on the Bb clarinet on Golden Atoms (Soul Note, 2008) and here on Lotus Symphony.

The high mark of this release is the way in which Marcus balances improvisation and composition. This is done through a shifting line-up ...


Engage

Contest Giveaways
Enter our latest contest giveaway sponsored by Sunnyside Records
Jazz Polls
Vote for your favorite saxophonists, vocalists, trombonists and vibraphonists.
Publisher's Desk
Get 'em while they're hot!
Read on...

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.