Marcus Roberts Department of Music, University of Richmond

University of Richmond UR Scholarship Repository Music Department Concert Programs Music 10-16-1996 Marcus Roberts Department of Music, University of Richmond Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/all-music-programs Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Department of Music, University of Richmond, "Marcus Roberts" (1996). Music Department Concert Programs. 605. https://scholarship.richmond.edu/all-music-programs/605 This Program is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Music Department Concert Programs by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GEORGE M. MODLIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS at the University o.f Richmond CAMP CONCERT HALL BOOKER HALL OF MUSIC WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1996 • 8 PM Marcus Roberts FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1996 • 8 PM Tallis Scholars FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1996 • 8 PM The Canadian Brass Wednesday, October 16, 1996 • 8 PM Camp Concert Hall, Booker Hall of Music Marcus Roberts Portraits in Blue featuring Richard Brown , saxophone Vincent Gardner, trombone David Grossman, bass I Victor Goines, saxophone I Loston Harris II, piano I Randall Haywood, trumpet Sherman Irby, saxophone Jason Marsalis, percussion Ted Nash, clarinet Marcus Printup, trumpet Stephen Riley, saxophone Ron Westray, trombone Marcus Roberts Exploration Our Love is Here to Stay Summertilne I'll See You at One "Special Band Feature" (to be announced from the stage) Express Mail Delivery - Intermission - The Mystery of Romance Rhapsody in Blue Marcus Roberts, piano soloist Columbia Artists Management Inc. Personal Direction: Laurence E. Tucker & Diane Saldick 165 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 Sony Recordings Also Featuring: THE ACADEMY OF THE ASCENSION Todd Reynolds, concertmaster Elizabeth Knowles, violin Laura Smith, violin Dana Friedli, violin Hector Falcon, violin Conrad Harris, violin Julian Hallmark, violin Kyle Turner, tuba Peter Schoettler, principal horn Greg Evans, horn Les Stephenson, sound engineer Program Subject to Change. Marcus Roberts MARCUS ROBERTS, PIANIST Portraits in Blue and Time and Circum The creative art of improvisation is taken to stance both follow the stunning success of last new heights by Marcus Roberts, one of today's year's Gershwin for Lovers, Roberts' Columbia premier jazz pianists, on not one, but two new Records debut. That album, which presented recordings released in June 1996. The historic ten gorgeously realized chestnuts from Po1'traits in Blue, recorded with a full orches America's songbook, debuted at No. 4 on tra, is his debut release on the Sony Classical Billboard's jazz chart, staying in the top ten for label. A second album, Time and Circumstance almost seven months. The title was one of (Columbia), is a jazz trio recording of original Columbia's best-selling jazz discs of 1994, arid compositions that, he said, "explores the nu into 1995. The "genius" of the project, wrote ances and timing of all the critical events of a Newsweek, "is to validate America's love for love relationship." The trio set features talented Gershwin by making his greatest hits sound young players Jason Marsalis on drums and new again." Vibe concurred: "Roberts takes lib Roland Guerin on bass. erties with many of the arrangements, going Portraits in Blue stands on its own merits way beyond the archetypal love song format." as a landmark achievement. "Rhapsody in Roberts' blessed relationship with his mu Blue," George Gershwin's signature classic and sic not only manifests itself in a physical man the album's focus piece, has been recorded ner, but in a spiritual one as well. "I've grown many times, but this is the first time that the to feel that music should be therapeutic, that it piece has been completely rewritten with the can heal people. I look at what it's done for me personalized interpretations of a particular art in my life. Music represents not just the ist. The album also included Roberts' distinc struggle, but the idealism we have in this cul tive reworkings of "Variations on 'I Got ture." His intelligent approach allows him to Rhythm'," and James P. Johnson's rarely heard express the subtleties that drive his musical "Yamekraw," named for an historic black settle passion. ment on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia. His Marthaniel Roberts was born in Jackson arrangements of these classics match his re ville, Florida, on August 7, 1963. Blind since the markable and highly individual piano style with age of five, Roberts was first exposed to music the sweep and grandeur of an orchestra com in the local church where his mother was a gos bining 13 members of New York's Orchestra of pel singer. His parents bought a piano when he St. Luke's and 18 accomplished jazz musicians, was eight, and he began nine years of formal many of them alumni of Roberts' touring jazz training at age twelve. While a music major at ensembles. Florida State University in Tallahassee, Roberts "Classical music has always had a huge im studied with Leonidus Lipovetsky, who, along pact on jazz musicians," Roberts says; his per with Van Cliburn, was a student of the noted sonal listening mix includes Beethoven, Russian piano teacher Rosina Lhevinne. Rob Chopin, Mahler, Coltrane and Billie Holiday. erts also cites such diverse pianists as Art "The basic goal of the 'Rhapsody in Blue' Tatum, Vladimir Ashkenazy, James P. Johnson project is to showcase the art of improvisation and Mary Lou Williams as early influences. from the jazz musician's perspective within a Aspiring to a career in jazz, Roberts won semi-classical form." several statewide competitions and even While the jazz world is intimately familiar earned plaudits from Florida's governor. Then, with Roberts' work (he has recorded seven al in 1982 in Chicago, he won the competition at bums as a leader), the simultaneous release of the annual convention of the National Associa Portraits in Blue and Time and Circumstance tion of Jazz Educators, where he met pianist presents his artistry on another level. Roberts Ellis Marsalis, patriarch of the noted jazz dy take the opportunity to update the music of nasty. Wynton Marsalis heard Roberts play at leading American composers, while continuing the convention and the trumpeter asked his fa to expand his own growth as a composer. "My ther to have Roberts contact him. life's work," he adds, "is to present the piano in Marsalis went on to have a profound influ as many settings as will bring the instrument to ence on Roberts' artistic development, as he greater prominence." took the young pianist under his wing. By 1985, their relationship had evolved to the point Marcus Roberts where Marsalis invited Roberts to take over the scribed by the New York Post as "a rich, life piano chair in his quartet vacated by Kenny filled and quite absorbing extended work." Its Kirkland. Roberts was surprised by the oppor triumphant performance occurred on August 7, tunity, but so was Marsalis; by the time the pia the pianist's 30th birthday, and it certainly nist joined the ensemble, he had learned its en marked the beginning of a very promising new tire repertoire from tapes the trumpeter had decade for Roberts. A vast knowledge of the sent. Roberts maintained a busy touring sched jazz canon served the artist well during his ten ule with Marsalis from 1985 to 1991, and ap ure as music director for the 19-member Lin peared on virtually all the trumpeter's jazz re coln Center Jazz Orchestra during its coast-to cordings made during that period. coast U.S. tour during the winter of 1994. Rob Roberts continued to gamer several awards, erts selected the nightly programs and served including the $10,000 first prize at the first as emcee for the mostly sold-out 30-city tour. Thelonius Monk International Jazz Competition In April of 1994, he kicked off a year largely in 1987. He recorded six albums before signing devoted to the work of Gershwin with a spec to Columbia early in 1994. During this time, he tacular performance as a soloist with Leon enjoyed the distinction of being the first jazz Botstein's American Symphony Orchestra of "I musician to have his first three recordings reach Got Rhythm Variations" at an Avery Fisher Hall No. 1 on Billboard's traditional jazz chart. show titled "Common Ground: Jazz, African Prior to his Columbia signing, Roberts re American and Jewish Composers (1930-1955). corded a wealth of original solo and band ma Tbe New York Times said of the performance, terial. He also expressed his continuing com "The Gershwin, with splendidly vivacious pi mitment to exploring the American solo piano ano solos played by Marcus Roberts, lifted the tradition with his versions of classics by evening and banished politics." Ellington, Monk, Jelly Roll Morton and James P The amazing success of Gershwin for Lov Johnson. Deep in the Shed (1990) was a septet ers is a brilliant indication of things to come. In recording of original blues compositions featur addition to Portraits in Blue and Time and Cir ing members of the Wynton Marsalis band as cumstance, Roberts already has plans for future well as prominent younger musicians includ projects, including an album of original septet ing Herb Harris, Chris Thomas and Scotty music called Express Mail Delivery, and a col Barnhart. Alone with Three Giants 0991) was lection of his arrangements of Scott Jopli~ rags. Roberts' solo piano tribute to Jelly Roll, He will also continue his consistent touring Ellington and Monk. People magazine, writing schedule, both in trio and orchestra configura about JfI Could Be With You (1993), noted that tions, throughout this year and next, during "Roberts' gift from transforming such songs as which he will be represented by both Columbia Cole Porter's 'What Is This Thing Called Love,' Artists Management Inc.

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