 Marcus Roberts |
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Story by Brad Walseth Pianist Marcus Roberts returned from nearly a decade of flying under the radar with a performance at Symphony Center, Friday May 8. Not that the talented musician and composer hasn't been keeping busy; he teaches at Florida State University, recorded an original arrangement of Gershwin's Concerto in F and performed on behalf of New Orleans area musicians after Katrina, but he admitted during the concert that he has been spending a good deal of time practicing, composing and "woodshedding." On this occasion, his longtime trio members, drummer Jason Marsalis and bassist Roland Guerin were joined by a four piece horn unit to revisit Roberts' 20 year-old recording - "Deep in the Shed: A Blues Suite.The trio started things off with a blues number -no surprise there - titled "New Orleans to Harlem, Vol. 1"- which is from their 2007 release of the same name, and which lived up to its title by utilizing elements of New Orleans and NYC jazz in tandem. Following this opening number, they were joined by the horn section, consisting of trumpeter Marcus Printup, trombonist Ron Westray, saxophonist Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson (primarily on alto sax here) and tenor saxophonist Stephen Riley. Roberts, who first rose to fame as a member of Wynton Marsalis' first group has impressive technique and an encyclopedic knowledge of traditional forms. His albums have covered Gershwin and Monk and clearly both composers have influenced his writing heavily. However, the basic framework for the compositions from this suite remained the blues, despite the unusual aspects of the writing, including intricate syncopation, odd chord changes and the utilization of all 12 tones in the writing. "The Governor" was an example of one of Roberts' metamorphosed 12-bar blues, with the composer pointing out that every th chord changed on the 3rd beat instead of the 4th. "Warmdaddy," (the only member besides Roberts to have played on the original album) sparkled on soprano sax, while young Riley chimed in with weird and ghostly tenor solo. In fact, one of the more unusual aspects of the evening was the sound of this young man's tenor, which almost sounded like he was playing his saxophone with a mute. As the evening wore on, young trumpet star Printup (another Wynton Marsalis protege) brought a sense of urgency and energy to the proceedings and signaled himself as an ascendant player to watch. A "cutting contest" on "E. Dankworth" enlivened matters, with enjoyable interchanges between Printup and Westray especially vibrant, while allowing rhythm mates Jason Marsalis and Roland Guerin an opportunity to flash their skills as well. The youngest of the musical Marsalis siblings, Jason sits at his kit straight up with perfect posture and plays with precise technique in an old school traditional manner. Guerin is noted for being a master of slapping the bass and he showcased some of his skill at this technique in his limited solo opportunities. However, throughout, Roberts was the centerpiece, displaying the exceptional abilities that have brought him considerable acclaim, through a combination of classicism and multi-facets of jazz. On "Spiritual Awakening " - inspired by gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, Roberts was simply at his best as this number bullt to a New Orleans climax with the horns all blazing. Roberts pointed out to the audience that "Nebuchadnezzar" featured 6/4 and 3/4 metrical changes, and an unusual placement of a neopolitan chord, but despite these elements, it was still the blues. Deep in the Shed - an ode to practicing was somewhat Latin flavored that brought the concert to a conclusion. A high energy encore followed leaving the Symphony Center crowd with some pleasant memories of a night filled with the blues.
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 Marcus Printup |
 Jason Marsalis |