Jazz Nights: Todd Marcus Quartet

Bass clarinetist/composer Todd Marcus  is one of the few jazz artists worldwide to focus their work primarily  on the bass clarinet.

Though use of bass clarinet in jazz  typically leans heavily towards avant-garde and free-jazz styles,  Marcus’ straight-ahead playing has carved out a unique voice for the  instrument in modern jazz. His music swings hard with both a fiery and  introspective intensity but also maintains a strong lyrical sensibility.

Marcus has annually been voted a Rising  Star in Downbeat Magazine’s Annual Critics Poll since 2013 and The New  York Times writes, “Mr. Marcus is probably the most inventive bass  clarinetist working in straight-ahead jazz today…[and] lives in  Baltimore, where he is a guiding light on the city’s jazz scene who  doubles as an activist and organizer.”  

The Washington Post adds,  “Listeners won’t have any trouble recognizing Marcus’s compelling gifts  for composing and arranging.”

Marcus actively leads small ensembles  such as the Todd Marcus Quintet, Quartet, Trio, and Duo as well as his  nine piece Jazz Orchestra on original compositions and jazz standards.

Self taught in jazz theory and  composition, Marcus’ compositions draw largely on straight-ahead jazz  and classical influences but over recent years have also increasingly  explored the Middle-Eastern sounds from his Egyptian-American heritage.   He has worked with other jazz artists such as Gary Bartz, Bennie  Maupin, Don Byron, Larry Willis, Gary Thomas, Joel Frahm, Tim Warfield,  Ralph Peterson, Warren Wolf, Sean Jones, Xavier Davis, George Colligan,  and Orrin Evans.

Marcus’ performances include national  and international touring. He was a featured artist in 2023 at the  International Clarinet Association Summit, 2017 Jazz Tales Festival in  Egypt, 2015 Cairo Jazz Festival in Egypt, and in 2005 at the 1st World Bass Clarinet Convention in Rotterdam, Holland.

Marcus balances his music career by  running Intersection of Change, a nonprofit addressing poverty related  issues in his Baltimore neighborhood.  The organization runs a community  arts program for children & adults, a recovery program for women  overcoming drug addiction, an urban farm, and has achieved significant  community revitalization by renovating abandoned building and vacant  lots.

Todd Marcus Quartet

• Todd Marcus - bass clarinet
• Charlie Ballantine - guitar
• Evan Gregor - bass
• Hugh Kline - drums