Marcus Roberts Trio
| Hours: | 8:00 - 10:00 PM |
| Ages: | Adults |
| In/Outdoor: | Indoor |
| Cost: | $$ see below |
| Category: | Music & Concerts |
A superb pianist with a deep love for New Orleans jazz, blues and gospel, Marcus Roberts has created a sparkling career out of his impressive technical ability, his remarkable interpretive skills and a decades-spanning musical partnership with Wynton Marsalis.
Roberts grew up in Jacksonville, Florida where his mother’s gospel singing and the music of the local church left a lasting impact on his musical style.
He lost his sight at age five, and a few years later began to teach himself to play piano.
He had his first formal lessons at age twelve and ultimately went on to study at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind (following in the footsteps of Ray Charles) and then studying classical piano at Florida State University with Leonidus Lipovetsky.
His break came in 1985 when he was handpicked by Wynton Marsalis to be in the jazz superstar’s quartet.
The accolades which followed led to Roberts’ first recording contract in 1988 (BMG/Novus), where he released his debut The Truth Is Spoken Here.
He later went on to record for both Columbia Records and Sony Classical, releasing several acclaimed records, all highlighting his virtuosic stride style, before eventually starting his own record label, J-Master Records in 2009.
Roberts’ recording legacy reflects his tremendous versatility as an artist and includes solo piano, duets, and trio arrangements of jazz standards, original suites of music, large ensemble works, and symphony orchestra recordings.
In 2012, Roberts collaborated with Béla Fleck to write and record twelve compositions for a CD entitled Across the Imaginary Divide.
Roberts’ deep respect for the contributions and achievements of the great masters of jazz and classical music has led to his highly innovative and original piano style and philosophy of jazz improvisation.
He’s always been on the cutting edge of innovative approaches to jazz, exemplified by the playing of his Trio (bassist Rodney Jordan and drummer Jason Marsalis, )who have developed an innovative style of playing that features bass and drums in a position equal to that of the piano.
His original compositions in the form of thematic suites of music demonstrate this significant advance to jazz trio playing.
While initially known as a throwback stride pianist, he has embraced a classical-jazz hybrid style in recent years.
In April of 2013, Roberts premiered his first piano concerto, “Spirit of the Blues: Piano Concerto in C Minor”, with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Robert Spano.
Roberts is also a dedicated teacher, serving as the Associate Artistic Director for the Savannah Music Festival where he directs the annual “Swing Central” high school band competition and educational programs for students from all over the country.
He is on the faculty at the School of Music at his alma mater, Florida State University.
| COST | ↑ top |
$39-$58
| WEBSITE | ↑ top |
www.rockportmusic.org/marcus-roberts-trio/
| LOCATION | ↑ top |
37 Main Street, Rockport, MA, 01966 map
Phone: 978 546 7391
| RELATED LINKS | ↑ top |
- Profiles
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