Marcus Strickland's Twi-Life: Nihil Novi review – shrewd grooves thanks to Meshell Ndegeocello
Florida-born saxophonist Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life projects go back to a 2006 collaboration with his like-minded associate Robert Glasper on piano, the starting point for his natural-sounding fusions of classic horn-driven hard bop with the grooves and vocal phrasing of modern R&B and hip-hop. Telling ingredients here include Keyon Harrold’s expressive, 1980s-Miles trumpet sound, producer Meshell Ndegeocello’s shrewd use of overdubs, synths and cross-idiom mashups, eloquent sometime Yellowjackets singer Jean Baylor, and trenchant guest contributions from Glasper and the drums phenomenon Chris Dave. The synthed horn harmonies and vocal chants of Tic Toc have a sensuous hipness, Strickland’s rich tone and taut phrasing energise the street-sharp The Chant and the brief Mingus neatly mingles funk and a languid jazz swing. But the song lyrics are unremarkable and the confiding spoken-word declarations veer to the cheesy. It’s a bit jazz-lite, but may be an attractive mix from the R&B angle.
"Strickland's own approach to music goes far beyond merely staying current - he is an innovator." - Joe Montague, JazzReview.com "Marcus expertly stretches the outside of the envelope on every solo, and his sense of narrative never falls flat." - J. Hunter, All About Jazz "Like Newk before him, Strickland has assembled a set of tunes with strong, direct melodies that inspire boundless reveries . . . Strikingly, the leader's own originals are just as memorable, and tailor-made for his tightly attuned trio . . . Throughout the album, the trio maintains a sound both sparse and rich, with a relaxed ease that allows for experimentation but without the airiness ever feeling empty." - Shaun Brady, DownBeat "Great knots of sound, breezy lines continuously unfurling - Strickland puts pressure on himself to carry the ball and he's been gaining a lot of yardage lately...want to hear how those qualities play out on the stand? Of course you do." - Jim Macnie, The Village Voice "A streamlined acoustic trio date, steeped in jazz heritage even as it foregrounds inventive takes on tunes by OutKast, Oumou Sangare, Jaco Pastorius and others." - David Adler, Time Out New York "This album, with Mr. Strickland distributing his intensity carefully over a subtle, flexible rhythm section, is of a whole other order...It's a record you can give to friends who aren't keeping score with jazz. That's good..." - Ben Ratliff, The New York Times (on Idiosyncrasies) "Strickland has started to turn heads in the most thriving but most competitive jazz scene on the planet... his tone: liquid and luminous, yet forceful and exact... simply one of jazz's shining young saxophonists." - Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes
The Jazz Standard, 116 e27th St., between Park and Lexington - NYC 10016
Marcus Strickland – tenor, alto and soprano saxophones Gerald Clayton – piano Linda Oh – bass Justin Brown – drums From: Jazz Promo Services Press Contact: Jim Eigo, jim@jazzpromoservices.com
"Marcus Strickland has started to turn heads in the most thriving but most competitive jazz scene on the planet ...his tone: liquid and luminous, yet forceful and exact." -Thomas Conrad (JazzTimes Magazine)
Marcus Strickland's third release on Strick Muzik Idiosyncrasies finds the world-renowned saxophonist in the setting of his exhilarating trio (with bassist Ben Williams and drummer E.J. Strickland). From the start of the record it is truly apparent that you will not be able to sit still with the poppin' groove of Strickland's opening original "Cuspy's Delight", written for the drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. The catchy melody soaring above the rhythmic playground of bass and drums immediately dives into Strickland's sax solo, which will make you consider whether the horn is a percussion or woodwind instrument. Then just when an idea of the album's direction starts to formulate Strickland's second original "Rebirth", a song about the healing powers of love, tantalizes the listener's chakras with his sax whispering the chant-like melody through the interweaving bass harmony. "Idiosyncrasies" takes you on an acoustic journey that is rare to find these days.
The album's title refers to what Strickland has developed through his horn and music, a sound so strong and distinct that in addition to his own intriguing compositions he, on other half of the record, is able to put his own stamp on cross-genre gems from Bjork, Andre 3000, Jose Gonzalez, Stevie Wonder, Jaco Pastorius and Oumou Sangare - this all done without the commonly expected use of substitute harmony. The many textures of horn, bass and drums are fully utilized on this album to create hip-shakin' African grooves, Electronica inflections, funky odd-metered bass figures and high-octane swing - Idiosyncrasies is a true testament to Strickland's eclectic musical upbringing, as well as his refusal to fit in a box.
Marcus Strickland (born 1979 in Gainesville, FL) is a jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist from Miami, FL who currently lives in New York. He was named 'Rising Star, Soprano Saxophone' in Downbeat Magazine's Critic's Poll '08 and 'Best New Artist' in JazzTimes Magazine's Reader's Poll '06; placed third in the 2002 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition; has two releases on Fresh Sound New Talent Records as a leader ("At Last" and "Brotherhood"); one release on Criss Cross Records ("Of Song"); and three releases ("Twi-Life, Open Reel Deck & Idiosyncrasies") on his own music label Strick Muzik (launched in 2006).
The aspiring saxophonist has been on two Grammy-nominated recordings ("Fountain of Youth" - Roy Haynes & "Keystone" - Dave Douglas). In addition to his own trio and quartet, Strickland currently plays with Dave Douglas, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, and Will Calhoun. He also recently ended a five-year stint with legendary drummer Roy Haynes.
Strickland has gained professional & artistic integrity through experiences with Roy Haynes, Mos Def, Dave Douglas, Nicholas Payton, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Christian McBride, Charles Tolliver Big Band, Tom Harrell, Will Calhoun, Lonnie Plaxico, The Carnegie Hall Big Band, The Mingus Band, the Village Vanguard Band, Milt Jackson Big Band, and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, just to name a few.
Program May 26, 2010 New York, NY Small's (live recording) Ben Wolfe May 25, 2010 New York, NY Small's (live recording) Ben Wolfe May 14, 2010 New Haven, CT Firehouse 12 A MUST SEE EVENT! Marcus Strickland Trio April 24, 2010 Palo Alto, CA Stanford University Dave Douglas Keystone World Premiere: "Spark of Being" April 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 2010 Stanford, CA Stanford University Dave Douglas Keystone (residency) April 17, 2010 Marlboro, NY Falcon Theater A MUST SEE EVENT! Marcus Strickland Trio April 15, 2010 Columbus, OH Ohio State University A MUST SEE EVENT! Marcus Strickland Trio w/ special guest Kenyatta Beasley March 17, 2010 New York, NY Iridium A MUST SEE EVENT! Doule Bill: Marcus Strickland Trio & JD Allen Trio March 12, 2010 New York, NY Jazz Gallery David Gilmore http://www.marcusstrickland.com/
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