Todd Marcus Quintet at Red Door

As a 20 year resident and activist in west Baltimore’s Sandtown-Winchester and Upton neighborhoods, bass clarinetist and composer has spent the past year writing new music portraying life in the community, including last year’s unrest following the death of fellow community resident Freddie Gray.

Since 1997 Marcus has lived a double life as a leader of the community nonprofit Intersection of Change, on Baltimore’s historic Pennsylvania Avenue, while also carving out a career as one of the world’s preeminent jazz bass clarinetists. He has performed nationally and internationally and was selected this year as one of only nine musicians in the country for a prestigious composition commission by the New York based organization Chamber Music America. ...

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As a 20 year resident and activist in west Baltimore’s Sandtown-Winchester and Upton neighborhoods, bass clarinetist and composer has spent the past year writing new music portraying life in the community, including last year’s unrest following the death of fellow community resident Freddie Gray.

Since 1997 Marcus has lived a double life as a leader of the community nonprofit Intersection of Change, on Baltimore’s historic Pennsylvania Avenue, while also carving out a career as one of the world’s preeminent jazz bass clarinetists. He has performed nationally and internationally and was selected this year as one of only nine musicians in the country for a prestigious composition commission by the New York based organization Chamber Music America.

While the New Jersey native’s work over recent years has focused extensively on his Egyptian heritage by incorporating Middle Eastern influences in jazz, his current efforts have focused on his experiences at home in Baltimore. His new compositions strive to capture elements of his west Baltimore neighborhood which was thrust into a national spotlight when the death of Freddie Gray in April 2015 led to the city's subsequent civil unrest. Marcus' new compositions seek to portray both the challenges and strengths of his community and find beauty in each.

Self taught in jazz theory and composition, Marcus’ straight-ahead playing has carved out a unique voice for the bass clarinet in modern jazz. His music swings hard with both a fiery and introspective intensity but also maintains a strong lyrical sensibility. The bass clarinetist has been voted a “Rising Star” in Downbeat Magazine’s Annual Critics Poll since 2013 and in 2014 was the winner of Baltimore’s prestigious Baker Artist Award winner. The Washington Post writes, "Listeners won't have any trouble recognizing Marcus's compelling gifts for composing and arranging." JazzTimes magazine adds, "In Marcus' hands, the bass clarinet is no longer a specialty instrument. Its unique timbral richness becomes incisive, fully capable of forceful expression."

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