SOUND PROJECTIONS
AN ONLINE QUARTERLY MUSIC MAGAZINE
EDITOR: KOFI NATAMBU
WINTER, 2021
VOLUME NINE NUMBER THREE
FARUQ Z. BEY
Featuring the Musics and Aesthetic Visions of:
William Parker
(January 23-29)
Jason Palmer
(January 30-February 5)
Living Colour
(February 6-12)
Charles Tolliver
(February 13-19)
Henry Grimes
(February 20-26)
Marcus Strickland
(February 27-March 5)
Kendrick Scott
(March 6-March 12)
Seth Parker Woods
(March 13-19)
Christian Sands
(March 20-26)
Ulysses Owens
(March 27-April 2)
Steve Nelson
(April 3-9)
Steve Wilson
(April 10-16)
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/marcus-strickland-mn0000569607/biography
Marcus Strickland
(b. February 24, 1979)
Artist Biography by Vincent Thomas
Saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Marcus Strickland is a charter member of the 21st century jazz vanguard. Similar to the torrent of artists that appeared on the jazz landscape in the early '80s to pull jazz out of the grasp of the Fusion Era, Strickland, his identical twin brother E.J. Strickland (drummer), and artists such as Jeremy Pelt and Robert Glasper breathed new life into jazz early in the new millennium, often erasing the boundaries between it and other musical genres, from hip hop to funk to soul.
During a five-year stint with venerable drummer Roy Haynes, Strickland released two albums on the Fresh Sound New Talent label. At Last was released in 2001, followed by Brotherhood in 2003. Both albums featured precocious peers (Pelt, Glasper, bassist Brandon Owens) playing a lyrical, fiery, contemporary jazz. For the next three years, Strickland toured with artists such as Jeff "Tain" Watts, Haynes, and Dave Douglas, while also holding down dates with his own band. In 2006, he independently released Twi-Life, an adventurous double album on his own label Strick Muzik. It received much critical praise and proclaimed him "Best New Artist" in the JazzTimes Readers' Poll. In 2007, the Twi-Life group released a live album entitled Open Reel Deck on Strick Muzik. The album featured Lage Lund on guitar, Carlos Henderson on electric bass, and E.J. Strickland on drums, as well as trumpeter Keyon Harrold, the hip-hop-tinged poetry of Malachi, and one track with pianist Jon Cowherd. The album displayed the curious side of Strickland's compositional skills through funk, hip-hop, Afrobeat, rock, ska, and jungle grooves. Strickland was voted "Rising Star, Soprano Saxophone" in Downbeat Magazine's 2008 Critic's Poll. He released two albums in 2009 -- Of Song on the Criss Cross label and Idiosyncracies on his label under the new name of SMK. Of Song, with brother E.J., Ben Williams, and David Bryant, was a more straight-ahead set, whereas Idiosyncracies featured Strickland's increasingly daring compositions. Throughout his career, Strickland has worked with a variety of artists, including Mos Def, Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, the Charles Tolliver Big Band, and Tom Harrell, among others.
In 2011, the saxophonist independently issued the half-studio/half-live double-disc Triumph of the Heavy, Vols. 1 & 2. One disc offered a concert portrait of his longtime trio with drummer E.J. and bassist Ben Williams, while the studio portion was a quartet with pianist David Bryant added.
Strickland signed to Blue Note in 2015. He contributed a reading of Janet Jackson's 1986 hit "Let's Wait Awhile" with vocalist Christie Dashiell. In the spring of 2016, Strickland released Nihil Novi, his full-length debut as a leader for the label. It was produced by Meshell N'Degeocello and featured an entirely new band called Twi-Life (from his 2006 album title) with trumpeter Harrold, bassist Kyle Miles, drummer Charles Haynes, organist Mitch Henry, and keyboardist Masayuki Hirano. The album also featured all-star contributions from vocalist Jean Baylor, bassist Pino Palladino, drummer Chris Dave, guitarist Chris Bruce, and pianist Robert Glasper (the latter played on the Twi-Life album). Two years later, Strickland's group issued its sophomore Blue Note date, People of the Sun. Self-produced, the band's personnel shifted a bit with Ghanaian born, U.S.-based percussion master Weedie Braimah. The single "On My Mind" featured guest appearances by Bilal, Pharoahe Monch, and Greg Tate.
https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/marcusstrickland
Marcus Strickland
It has already been an exciting career for Miami-raised soprano and tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland, who has two releases on Fresh Sound New Talent Records as a leader (”At Last” and “Brotherhood”) and currently plays with Dave Douglas, Jeff 'Tain' Watts and Michael Carvin. Strickland also recently ended a five year stint with legendary drummer Roy Haynes. Although the aspiring saxophonist has been on two grammy-nominated recordings in a row (Fountain of Youth - Roy Haynes & Keystone - Dave Douglas), the most intriguing part is that Strickland's career has just begun. This is definitely indicated by his latest venture... Strick Muzik—his own record label. And what could be a better way to launch a label than with an adventurous double CD project featuring two bands of his and appropriately titled with a play on words Twi-Life.
The first disc features his acclaimed quartet with the inventive Robert Glasper on piano, Vicente Archer on bass and his twin brother E.J. Strickland on drums. Marcus' signature-styled compositions serve as a canvas upon which the quartet paints with telepathy and interaction. The second disc is the debut recording of his new Twi-Life Group: Lage Lund on guitar, Brad Jones on electric bass and E.J. Strickland on drums again. The Twi-Life group displays the curious side of Marcus' compositional skills through funk, rock, ska and jungle grooves, while also showin' off the versatility of his twin brother E.J. on the drums. Twi-Life is the most venturous of Marcus' projects yet. The double CD package offers a whole lot of interesting music to the listener, in addition to revealing Marcus' explorative nature. The dedication put forth by Marcus and both of his talented groups, as indicated by the energy of their music, is a labor of love.
In middle school his first band teacher immediately recognized Marcus' talents. Because Strickland started on the alto saxophone at the age of 11 with a deep interest in jazz, his teacher already had him learning Charlie Parker solos by the age of 12. It was not long after that when both Marcus and his equally talented brother decided to pursue a career as jazz musicians. Because of the saxophonist's understanding of music education's importance, Strickland also participates in Jazz Reach—an educational program founded by Hans Schuman that integrates film, narration and live music to educate children about jazz.
He has gained professional & artistic integrity through experiences with Lonnie Plaxico, Nicholas Payton, Tom Harrell, The Carnegie Hall Big Band, The Mingus Band, the Village Vangaurd Band, Milt Jackson Big Band, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra & Reggie Workman's African American Legacy Band.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Strickland
Marcus Strickland
Marcus Strickland (born February 24, 1979 in Gainesville, Florida, United States) is an American jazz soprano, alto, and tenor saxophonist who grew up in Miami, Florida. Down Beat magazine's Critics' Poll named him 'Rising Star on Tenor Saxophone' in 2010 and 'Rising Star on Soprano Saxophone' in 2008. JazzTimes magazine's Reader's Poll named him 'Best New Artist' in 2006. He placed third in the 2002 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition.
His band and concept project, Twi-Life deals with the connection and intersection between jazz and Soul & Hip Hop as inspired by the J Dilla aesthetic of intricacy, “drunk drumming” and tonal nuance. Strickland becomes beat maker, composer as well as saxophonist on these projects.
The saxophonist has nine releases as a leader: People of the Sun (2018), Nihil Novi (2016) on Blue Note Records; Triumph of the Heavy, Vol 1 & 2 (2011), Idiosyncrasies (2009), Open Reel Deck (2007), & Twi-Life (2006) on his own music label Strick Muzik (launched in 2006); Of Song (2009)on Criss Cross Records; Brotherhood (2002) & At Last (2001) on Fresh Sound Records.
In addition to his own Twi-Life, trio and quartet, Strickland has played with Christian McBride, Dave Douglas, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, and also had a five-year stint with the drummer Roy Haynes. Strickland has been on two Grammy-nominated recordings (including Fountain of Youth - Roy Haynes & Keystone). He considers his father an early inspiration, as he had been a drummer in jazz and rhythm and blues but is now a lawyer. Marcus' twin brother E.J. Strickland is a drummer, and is a member of Marcus' quartet and leads his own quintet as well.
Select discography
As leader
- At Last (Fresh Sound, 2001)[1]
- Brotherhood (Fresh Sound, 2003)[2]
- Twi-Life (Strick Muzik, 2005)
- Open Reel Deck (Strick Muzik, 2007)
- Of Song (Criss Cross, 2009)[3]
- Idiosyncrasies (Strick Muzik, 2009)
- Triumph of the Heavy, Vol. 1 & 2 (Strick Muzik, 2011)[4]
- Nihil Novi (Blue Note, 2016)[5]
- People of the Sun (Blue Note, 2018)[6]
As sideman
With Bilal
With Dave Douglas
- Keystone (Greenleaf, 2005)
- Keystone: Live in Seden (Greenleaf, 2006)
- Moonshine (Greenleaf, 2007)
- Keystone: Live at the Jazz Standard (Greenleaf, 2008)
- Spark of Being (Greenleaf, 2010)
With Roy Haynes
- Fountain of Youth (Dreyfus, 2004)[8]
With Mike Moreno
- Between the Lines (World Culture, 2007)[9]
With Lonnie Plaxico
- Melange (Blue Note, 2001)
- Lonnie Plaxico Live at the 5:01 Jazz Bar (Orchard, 2002)
- Live at the Zinc Bar (Plaxmusic, 2007)
With E. J. Strickland
- In This Day (Strick Muzik, 2009)
With Bart Tarenskeen
- The Outer Rim (B-Art Records, 2013)
With Christian McBride
- Christian McBride's New Jawn (Mack Avenue, 2018)
With Jeff "Tain" Watts
- Detained (Half Note, 2004)
- Folk's Songs (Dark Key, 2007)
With Ben Williams
- State of Art (Concord, 2011)[10]
- Coming of Age (Concord, 2017)
- I Am A Man (Rainbow Blonde, 2020)
External links
- Marcus Strickland's website
- Strick Muzik
- Interview from Alternate Takes, by Angelika Beener
- Interview from Jazz Review
- Review of Twi-Life at JazzChicago.net
- "In Conversation with Marcus Strickland" by Jared Pauley (Jazz.com)
http://thevault.musicarts.com/interview-with-marcus-strickland-uys-cover-artist/
World renowned saxophonist and composer Marcus Strickland is helping to frame jazz music in a captivating new context. Named “Best New Artist” by a 2006 JazzTimes reader’s poll, and “Rising Star” in 2008 and 2010 by Down Beat magazine, Strickland breathes new life into jazz with a fearless musical philosophy that embraces hip hop, funk and soul. Listen to his acclaimed 2018 album, “People of the Sun,” for a taste. In an exclusive interview with Music & Arts Marketing Director, Renier Fee, Strickland discusses his musical upbringing and gear preferences.
(Check out our Spring 2019 “Upgrade Your Sound” catalog to learn more about how Marcus upgrade his sound with P. Mauriat.)
I’ve read that your father was an early inspiration in your music. Can you tell me more about that?
My pop would bring my mom’s womb up to the stereo speaker and play dope music of all kinds to us–my twin brother is E.J. Strickland, dope drummer–while we were in there. Pop is a retired lawyer, who used to be a principle percussionist in Miami and also played the drum set very well. I grew up around great music and drummers, and I am very grateful for it.
You have an identical twin brother, E.J. Strickland. How did you end up playing the saxophone while he took to drums?
My middle school band teacher, Steve Kirkland, introduced all the instruments to the band and saved the saxophone for last (he is a saxophonist himself). It was so different than anything else introduced that day. It was beautiful, sexy, a combo of woodwind and brasswind. I fell in love at first sight.
Were private music lessons part of your childhood? How did those lessons help you?
Yes, I started taking private lessons in high school with Whit Sidener. He was the most life-changing music teacher I had other than Branford Marsalis and George Garzone. The reason is that was he immediately told me to get on the piano and showed me what all those chord symbols meant, as well as great ways to approach playing over them.
During Music & Arts’ “Upgrade Your Sound” events, we encourage progressing students to step-up from a beginning instrument to an intermediate or pro-level horn. When you were a young musician, how did you know it was time to invest in a professional saxophone?
By the time I was in high school it was already apparent that my brother I were very serious about music and wanted to pursue it as a career. I switched from alto to tenor in high school–most of the players I listened to were tenor players. My folks invested in intermediate horns, two L.A. saxes actually, soprano & tenor. The soprano is black (I still have it), and the tenor was white. I called it Marshmallow, and it gained a pretty lengthy gear conversation with President Clinton whose presidential sax was an L.A. sax.
What are the most important features of a professional horn that every musician should consider?
Intonation (make sure to check the overtone series), response, projection, agility (especially with the spatula mechanisms and other side keys). Also, I prefer horns to be soldered bow to insure the low notes stay stable and close properly.
Marcus Strickland's Twi-Life - Alive ft. Jean Baylor
You play on the P. Mauriat sax models PMXT-66RUL, SYSTEM-76SDK and MASTER-97AU. Why is P. Mauriat your saxophone brand of choice?
They are very resonant horns with my preferable bore dimensions and key mechanism, similar to the Mark VI, I used to play before them.
What’s it like to be a P. Mauriat artist?
Truly an honor, and absolutely no hassle with getting horns into my hands. I am grateful to them for their generosity and support, which is not often seen in most saxophone companies.
What are you using for mouthpiece and reeds?
Tenor: Lebayle LR II metal mouthpiece 9* facing, with Vandoren blue box 3 1/2 bass clarinet (that’s right!) reeds
Alto: Lebayle jazz chamber (I believe) wooden mouthpiece, 8 facing, with Vandoren V16 3 reeds
Soprano: Selmer S-90 with Vandoren V12 4 1/2 clarinet (that’s right) reeds.
What is your recommendation for young students to find the right mouthpiece and reed?
Always test the overtone series when deciding on any major change with equipment. Some people love resistance, some love easy blowing. Remember that thick reeds with a small chamber create a reedier sound, and thinner reeds with a larger chamber create a fuller sound with more body to it. The resistance is controlled by how thick the reed is in comparison to the mouthpiece, and choose well!
“People of the Sun” was released in 2018. You have eight other critically acclaimed albums. What have you learned about yourself when you reflect back on your discography?
I would like to quote Wayne Shorter to answer this: “If all you have is music, then you don’t have music.” I see music as a tool to tell my ancestors story—griot culture. It takes time and mindfulness to get to such a level. The bell of my horn is facing the audience for a reason, so I feel the music should reflect the times and move the people.
Where can fans learn more about your music and tour schedule?
Thanks for your time, Marcus!
Music & Arts
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https://downbeat.com/news/detail/marcus-strickland-vocalists-organ
Marcus Strickland Harnesses Power of Vocalists, Organ on Latest Album
by John Murph
November 30, 2018
Downbeat
Marcus Strickland said he’s considered recording an album of work composed around bass clarinet. The reedist’s album with Twi-Life, People Of The Sun (Blue Note), is out now. (Photo: Petra Richterova)
Before Marcus Strickland launched into music from his new album, People Of The Sun (Blue Note), during a Nov. 10 album-release party at New York’s Jazz Standard, he and his latest edition of Twi-Life delivered a rendition of “Roy Allan,” a soulful modern jazz original by Roy Hargrove, who had died eight days earlier.
The emotional gravity of Strickland’s melodic improvisations on tenor saxophone, funky rhythmic bite from bassist Ben Williams and drummer Charles Haynes, and Mitch Henry’s smoldering organ helped convey a deep, gospel feel as the melancholy melody wafted above. That set the pace for Strickland’s set as he followed up with the comparatively more ebullient “Lullaby,” from People Of The Sun, an original on which Strickland’s tenor soared across Haynes’ driving 6/8 West African rhythm. The leader’s work was most rewarding when focused on bass clarinet, especially during the waltzing jazz-soul ballad “Black Love,” which features a succinct melody begging for lyrics.
People Of The Sun comes loaded with special guest vocals from Bilal, Jermaine Holmes and sampled dialogue throughout. The streamlined version of Twi-Life at the Jazz Standard, though, enabled a greater focus on Strickland’s compositional and improvisational skills. Rapper Pharoahe Monch, who appears on the album, joined the group onstage, spitting rhymes over “On My Mind,” a galactic medium-tempo ballad that featured Strickland on bass clarinet and Bilal’s pre-recorded vocals. Monch returned for an encore performance of J Dilla’s hip-hop classic “Lightworks” during which he unleashed verses from “Haile Selassie Karate,” a tune off the MC’s 2011 album W.A.R.
After the show, Strickland—who exhibited commendable stamina throughout the night while battling the flu—spoke about the latest edition and Twi-Life, the heavier emphasis on the organ in his group, the possibility of an album featuring him primarily on bass clarinet and his fond memories of Hargrove.
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
This is my first time noticing how prominent the organ sound is in your current ensemble. How’d that come about?
Having Meshell Ndegeocello [who produced 2016’s Nihil Novi] at the helm the last time brought different decisions than I would have usually made. Organ has definitely been at the helm of the sounds that I’ve been looking for in writing these days. The organ is a very majestic instrument. It takes up so many of the sonic frequencies within the band; it produces a huge sound and it demands your attention. And it’s something that’s closely associated with the black church, especially in the way that Mitch plays it.
It seems as if you’re playing more and more bass clarinet lately, especially on People Of The Sun. Have you considered recording an album that features you playing that instrument exclusively?
I can imagine that coming at some point. The bass clarinet has definitely taken up most of my practice sessions these days. I really want to get to a point where I’m as fluent as possible on that instrument. I’ve been working on the bass clarinet much more than usual, because I think I’m just falling in love with it. I hope my saxophones don’t get jealous. But the bass clarinet is such a majestic instrument, too. I really love the timbre that the bass clarinet provides.
Explain why you brought so many vocalists in to record on People Of The Sun.
Being a beatmaker and producer gives me a whole other approach to melodies. I would sing a melody myself, then I recognize that it just lends itself to the voice. So, after I make a track, I better recognize what is a vocal track. Then I try to get a singer who’s going to feel all over it. I really like this evolution in my writing.
How did you end up collaborating with the writer and musician Greg Tate and Pharoahe Monch?
It was just a matter of having the audacity to ask them. I always wanted to work with Pharoahe Monch. I made sure to reach out to both of them. And gladly, they accepted. My photographer, Petra Richterova, is one of my best friends. She happens to know the incredible Greg Tate. So, when I was finishing the song “On My Mind,” it had vocals from Bilal and lyrics from Pharoahe; originally it had a preacher during the intro. The preacher was speaking on love versus infatuation. When Petra introduced me to Greg, all I could think of was how incredible the song would be if we could get him to write something about that.
How did you start working with Bilal?
Bilal is a friend from college. We went to the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music together. I’ve worked with him in other situations, usually involving Robert Glasper or Keyon Harrold.
Talk about working with Holmes, who sings on “Aim High.”
His singing feels like grits oozing out of his mouth; he’s just so soulful. Originally, when the song was just an instrumental, it was called “Odyssey.” When he wrote lyrics to it, he came up with the hook, “Aim high.” So, that became the song’s title. He wrote the lyrics with his brother. Jermaine did a great job on vocals on that song; he brought a Parliament-Funkadelic sound to the songs by having all those low vocals underneath the melody.
You opened your concert with a cover of Hargrove’s “Roy Allan.” Can you share your fondest memory of him?
Many people will probably say the same thing: I really loved when he would just show up at jam sessions—it could be on any night or anywhere—and start playing. And his playing would always be something that would lovingly annihilate everything that came before it. He was a force. And he really spread the gospel of the music in a very giving way.
I don’t know if he knew that his time was so limited, but he did so much with that time. I feel lucky to have seen him perform. DB
Marcus Strickland Twi-Life Celebrating his new Blue Note Album “People of The Sun”, Thursday, March 7, 2019
Marcus Strickland Twi-Life celebrating his new Blue Note album “People of The Sun”
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Marcus Strickland
Marcus Strickland:
On People of the Sun , Strickland blazes down that trail fully at the helm of his music—performing, writing, and producing with his outrageously able Twi-Life band on deck—even as he sonically and socially traces the African diaspora from present to past in an effort to unpack his identity. “I’m thinking about where we came from,” says Strickland, “and how that clashes and goes hand in hand with what we’ve created here as Black Americans.” The result is an album that’s busy and beautiful, inventive and contemplative, an amalgam of influences from West Africa (griot culture, Afrobeat, percussion) and America (post-bop, funk-soul, beat music) performed in the key of revelation. Another facet that sets the album part is Strickland’s lesser-known woodwind obsession with the bass clarinet, which adds its noirish hues to so many of these songs.
Growing up in Miami, Strickland always thought of music “in a very mixed up way.” He heard Haitian sounds, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and southern rap in the streets, while at home his dad would jump from Stevie to Coltrane to P-Funk on his reel-to-reel deck. Meanwhile, his mom put Marcus and his twin brother E.J. into art school so they’d be surrounded by proper “music nerds.” The talent they nurtured there on saxophone and drums (respectively) propelled the pair on to The New School at just the right time: college was basically one wild jam session with like minded upstarts like Robert Glasper, Keyon Harrold, and Bilal Oliver—guys who’d go on to remake jazz (and more) in their own post-modern musical image. To hear People of the Sun , that backdrop feels more like fate than chance.
BROOKLYN
Marcus Strickland Twi-Life - "Timing" (Live In Studio at HighBreedMusic)
November 9, 2018
When last we heard from Brooklyn composer-saxophonist Marcus Strickland, on 2016’s Nihil Novi, he was testing his mettle at hip-hop-inspired production, blending genres with a little help from album producer Meshell Ndegeocello. In the process, something big happened: “I was no longer concerned about what is or isn’t jazz,” he says. “I got rid of those barriers and was like, ‘Well, who the fuck am I?’ That’s when I started on this path.” On his thrilling new LP, People of the Sun (Blue Note/Revive Music), Strickland blazes down that trail fully at the helm of his music—performing, writing, and producing with his outrageously able Twi-Life band on deck—even as he sonically and socially traces the African diaspora from present to past in an effort to unpack his identity. “I’m thinking about where we came from,” says Strickland, “and how that clashes and goes hand in hand with what we’ve created here as Black Americans.” The result is an album that’s busy and beautiful, inventive and contemplative, an amalgam of influences from West Africa (griot culture, Afrobeat, percussion) and America (post-bop, funk-soul, beat music) performed in the key of revelation.
Of course, genre doesn’t mean much to Strickland—”Trying to fit into one has absolutely nothing to do with the progress of music,” he declares—but origin does. And though his epiphany about not conforming to a particular sound may be recent, his roots and career have been bending toward that all along. Growing up in Miami, Strickland always thought of music “in a very mixed up way.” He heard Haitian sounds, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and southern rap in the streets, while at home his dad would jump from Stevie to Coltrane to P-Funk on his reel-to-reel deck. Meanwhile, his mom put Marcus and his twin brother E.J. into art school so they’d be surrounded by proper “music nerds.” The talent they nurtured there on saxophone and drums (respectively) propelled the pair on to The New School at just the right time: college was basically one wild jam session with likeminded upstarts like Robert Glasper, Keyon Harrold, and Bilal Oliver—guys who’d go on to remake jazz (and more) in their own post-modern musical image. “Something was brewing,” recalls Strickland. “All I knew was whatever I was into, it was there. I was in the right place.”
To hear People of the Sun, that backdrop feels more like fate than chance. Strickland’s eighth album opens with “Lullaby,” a track that moves in two different time zones, swaying to our host’s saxophone up top and jittering underneath to the djembe and batas of the Ghanaian-born, St. Louis-raised Weedie Braimah. Second song “Timing” pairs Twi-Lifer Mitch Henry’s shimmering organ with an astral trap beat before the rhythm section gives us a drum ‘n’ bass-evoking jolt—Kyle Miles’ low end burbling along to Charles Haynes’ rapid-fire snaps and pops. Strickland’s blowing glides over the bustling scene, which is fitting since he was imagining “being a black superhero, soaring through the air trying to save my people.” It nearly sounds like something Flying Lotus might dream up, but live. That’s because after Nihil Novi’s fractured approach, Strickland knew he wanted his band all in one room playing together again. Their chemistry is palpable even on headnodic funk-bubbler “On My Mind,” where Bilal and Pharoahe Monch explore infatuation and romantic love, while modern griot Greg Tate speaks on a nurturing force that’s more elemental.
Another facet that sets People of the Sun apart: Strickland’s lesser-known woodwind obsession the bass clarinet, which adds its noirish hues to so many of these songs. His interest began years ago and, fittingly, he says, “It had nothing to do with Eric Dolphy.” Shortly after his fiery 2001 LP debut At Last, Strickland took third place in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition for saxophone. Rather than invest in better brass, he spent his winnings on: a) software that would help him emulate J Dilla’s beats, and b) a busted bass clarinet inspired by Madlib’s low reed sounds. He kept those interests quiet as he honed his approach, but with 2006’s double-album Twi-Life it became evident that Strickland was playing in two worlds: the old one that belonged to his jazz heroes, and the new one that wove disparate genres into one technicolor tapestry. He continued exploring—with spoken word on Open Reel Deck (2007), classic ballads on Of Song (2009) and left-field songwriting on Idiosyncracies (2009), where Strickland interpreted everyone from Björk to André 3000—until he was able to meld it all into a sound and feel that is undeniably his own.
Which gives the artist his sturdiest platform yet from which to ask what it means to be black in America. A pair of songs embodies two sides of the struggle. “Black Love” explores strength as Strickland calls his parents and confidantes to ask them on the fly what the titular phrase means to them. “There’s another layer to it for oppressed people,” he summarizes. “Because your love is transferred to your community. To preserve it, you have to think of your people as one instead of thinking of just yourself.” But “Cloaked in Controversy” captures anxiety as two women—one representing a child and the other an adult—read the same prepared lines reminding the men in their lives about the bodily danger lurking outside their doors. The point, says Strickland, is “No matter what age you are, that script exists in your mind: a black male can get arrested, tried and sentenced much more harshly than any other, whether he’s your brother, father, uncle, husband, son or granddad.” The instrumental “Build” falls in between both literally and figuratively, always pushing toward a hard-won slice of peace but getting slowed by loops and snags along the way.
But People of the Sun‘s message isn’t bleak. “Marvelous,” with its royal, African-kissed groove, offers a corollary to the fear of “Cloaked In Controversy”—a black male, the soulful Akie Bermiss, praising his partner as his rock in a chaotic world. And the Fela-infused “Aim High” finds Jermaine Holmes cooing inspiration to a new generation. In fact, the vocodered mantra sung by Henry on the title cut spells it out: “Praise the queens, praise the kings of the sun/Stand on up, join the fight, fight for your rights/Spread the love, rise above, reach for the light.” Strickland was inspired by the writing of Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the oration of Malian griots like Bazoumana Sissoko. Here he highlights the importance of dialogue and—through music—a more visceral form of communion. It all comes together on closer “Spirit of the Music.” Twi-Life sits in the pocket while Czech-born Africologist Petra Richterova speaks on her experience with the culture. But as her voice fades, Braimah’s congas crackle and the band explodes. When it’s all played and done, we’re left with exuberance—shouts and laughter—and a sense that we’ve come a bit closer to a deeper truth.
Saxophonist Marcus Strickland Dazzles At Jazz Standard
From the stage of Jazz Standard, a subterranean Manhattan supper club set beneath restaurateur Danny Meyer’s upscale casual barbecue joint Blue Smoke, one might have caught Marcus Strickland daydreaming.
“I was thinking of a place like Wakanda or somewhere like that,” the saxophonist said, both introducing as well as describing “Lullaby” off his latest album People Of The Sun. Later, mid-song with the rest of his Twi-Life quartet, he simulated the familiar Black Panther salute, a fictional yet fitting reference given the album’s themes.
Released just this past Friday via the venerated Blue Note Records and the Okayplayer-affiliated imprint Revive Music, People Of The Sun addresses and explores the African diaspora by augmenting jazz, that quintessential all-American art form, with elements of related and subsequent genres like hip-hop. Nihil Novi, Strickland's striking 2016 Twi-Life bandleader set and his first for Blue Note, reached No. 18 on Billboard's Jazz Albums, a modest win though nonetheless noteworthy on a chart regularly overrun by reissues by departed legends and the latest efforts from legacy acts. Most recently, Strickland appeared on bassist Christian McBride's New Jawn, for Mack Avenue, debuting earlier this month at No. 13.
Onstage at Jazz Standard, his unit’s carefree and boundary pushing approach lent well to the bustling setting, replete with the authenticity of tables virtually on top of other tables, diners end-on-end elbowing each other between bouts of applause, and wait staff moving with balletic grace and frenetic urgency amidst it all. The forcefulness and seemingly boundless energy of drummer Charles Haynes jibed well with Ben Williams' understated yet technically impressive bass playing. A standout player, Mitch Henry proved an expressive organist and keyboardist, vacillating between cosmic introspection and spiritualized soul, sometimes over the course of the same solo.
Strickland himself dazzled often, showing a range across multiple instruments including bass clarinet, which he challenged the audience to identify by name at one point. With previous positions on records and in groups helmed by veterans Dave Douglas, Jeff "Tain" Watts and the incomparable--and, incredibly, still drumming--nonagenarian Roy Haynes, his talents are well established. His humility, however, was on display too, present in his description of a photo of his parents from the 1970s, of which he joked, "Not many guys wear platforms these days."
Towards the end, rapper Pharoahe Monch emerged from backstage. Dubbed by Strickland as "an incredible legend of our culture," the Queens native behind Hot 100 charting singles "Oh No" with Mos Def and Nate Dogg and "Simon Says" delivered the lyrical goods, spitting boisterous rhymes from his "Haile Selassie Karate" over the quartet's uplifting and loose take on seminal hip-hop producer J Dilla's "Lightworks." Monch returned for the encore, dutifully performing his contribution to People Of The Sun's "On My Mind."
Notably, Strickland had also made it a point to include in the set a tribute to the recently departed Roy Hargrove, playing a heartfelt version of the trumpeter's "Roy Allen" off 1995's Family (albeit sans trumpet), an album that reached No. 23 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart that year. Upon completion, Strickland declared, "Let's make his songs into standards."
https://burningambulance.com/2011/09/26/interview-marcus-strickland/
Marcus Strickland is a saxophonist whose seventh album, Triumph of the Heavy Vol. 1 & 2, comes out tomorrow. His first two albums, 2001’s At Last and 2002’s Brotherhood, were released on Fresh Sound; 2009’s Of Song, a collection of standards, was on Criss Cross. But the bulk of his discography—2006’s Twi-Life (a double-disc set documenting two very different bands), 2007’s Open Reel Deck, 2009’s Idiosyncrasies and now Triumph of the Heavy—has been on his own Strick Muzik label.
Strickland’s music is self-contained in another important way. He’s a twin, and his brother E.J. is his drummer—or, at any rate, the two men are musical partners. They work separately, of course; E.J. also drums for Ravi Coltrane, while Marcus was a member of Roy Haynes‘s band for five years and has also worked steadily with Jeff “Tain” Watts‘s group and Dave Douglas‘s Keystone.
Triumph of the Heavy is divided into a live disc and a studio disc. The studio recordings feature a quartet: Marcus on soprano, alto and tenor saxophones and clarinets, David Bryant on piano, Ben Williams on bass and E.J. Strickland on drums. The live disc, recorded in May 2010 at Firehouse 12, features everyone but Bryant, and Marcus limits himself to soprano and tenor saxophones.
The group’s music has a strong sense of swing, but a powerful, polyrhythmic groove emerges quite often, too. This is something Strickland has explored on earlier albums in more depth—the group heard on the second disc of Twi-Life featured guitarist Lage Lund and electric bassist Brad Jones alongside the brothers, while Open Reel Deck swapped those two out for Mike Moreno and Carlos Henderson, respectively, while adding trumpet from Keyon Harrold and spoken-word segments from a poet going simply by Malachi. Even in an all-acoustic format, though, the saxophonist and his brother bring the funk. Idiosyncrasies, while recorded with the Strickland-Strickland-Williams trio, included versions of songs by Björk, Andre 3000 and Stevie Wonder, and E.J. Strickland breaks the music on Triumph of the Heavy‘s “Mudbone” down to a taut, almost Meters-esque shuffle. This same discipline is heard in Marcus Strickland’s playing. Unlike many contemporary players, his lines never seem to wander. They have a starting point and a resolution, and a coherence in between that displays a stark unwillingness to waste his breath or the audience’s time. In this, and given his extremely humanistic, almost crying tone, especially on the soprano (an instrument I almost always loathe, but not in his hands) and the clarinet, he’s strongly, and pleasingly, reminiscent of Eric Dolphy.
Here’s video of the band performing “Prime” live at Firehouse 12, split into two parts:
The interview which follows is condensed from a longer version that will appear in the upcoming print edition of Burning Ambulance.
—Phil Freeman
This is your second two-CD set to feature different
instrumentation on each disc. What attracts you to that format? Do you
think being a twin causes you to embrace dualistic concepts?
Not really; I think mostly what brings those things on is, it may be a
period of time where my output is greater than the amount of releases
that I want to make, so I’ll put the releases together so I can
immediately get to the next thing. I’d definitely rather do that than
release both of them separately, because by the time I get to the second
release I’ll be on to the third one. [laughs]
Why do you choose to self-release your music?
I feel it’s a necessity right now because those few labels that I want
to be on don’t seem to have much interest in signing me. I don’t know
what it is, but I’m not somebody that’s going to wait around and see if
they’re going to do it or not. I want to release the music and get to
the next thing. And it’s easier to do that these days, also. So it’s—if
you have the drive to do it and you have the resources to do it, I say
why not? You’ll make more of a percentage of the sale. So it’s a very
good learning process, too. You really learn the ins and outs of the
music industry. And it’s—yeah, it’s definitely not like it was years
ago. I think a lot of people are still trying to hold on to that. “Yeah,
I’m gonna come to New York, I’m gonna get signed, and I’m gonna become a
star!” No. It doesn’t work that way. So most of us are gonna have to do
most of the work ourselves, and someway, somehow produce the product
ourselves. That’s the new template now. But it’s not that hard to do it
these days because of sheer technology. So yeah, I put out the music
myself. Every now and then, I might do a record with a label. But until I
find the right fit, I’m just gonna keep on putting the music out
myself.
What do you see as the link between this particular live set and the studio material on the other disc?
I think the link is probably just the progression from my trio back to
the quartet. I think it’s a very good documentation of that. And I think
it’s very—it’s a pretty interesting way to document music, to have
totally different processes going on. One being a process whereby the
group has been playing together for a long while and playing the
material for a long while, live in front of an audience. It’s such a
different energy than when you’re in the studio and can be extra
meticulous and do more than one take. [laughs] Having that
safety net kinda changes the energy. But both are just as exciting as
each other. It’s just a different kind of energy. That’s one thing I
really found fun about this project, was to have both of those processes
on the same release.
You seem to be as attracted if not more to groove as opposed to swing. Can you talk about that a little?
Yeah, sure. Lately I’ve been hearing, when I hear a tune in my head, it
has a sensibility toward beats, ’cause that’s one of my hobbies, I love
to make beats on the side. I don’t consider myself good enough to be a
producer or anything, but I make a lot of beats all the time. I find it
fascinating. It’s really inspired a lot of the music that’s been coming
out lately, so the bass lines, that’s one of the things that’s very
specific about it, is the bass line has a part, rather than just walking
the harmonic progressions, he has an actual part. Most of my songs have
that going on. And somewhere in there, there might be some swing. But
I’m definitely just going with what I’m hearing, and I like to compose
for my era and what’s going on now, and there’s a lot of beats all over
the place. We hear it all the time. So that definitely creeps into the
music. And the thing that’s fascinating about it is, everybody in the
ensemble can swing just as hard as they groove. It’s unusual to find
somebody that can do both, ’cause it definitely takes a different
sensibility for each. I’ve heard so many people play bebop over, like, a
hip-hop beat and it just doesn’t work. You have to have a different
sensibility. You have to understand the elements of funk and what makes
it work, just like you have to respect the elements of swing in order to
make it groove properly. So I really do take advantage of the fact that
all of us are open to both of those sensibilities. I think that’s a
very strong thing about us—that we can dance and we can think.
Is your current band what you consider your primary set of collaborators, and what does each member bring to the ensemble?
Oh yeah, the quartet is my current band that I’m touring with now, and
we’ve got the trio which is basically the same guys without piano. Ben
Williams is a tremendous bass player, he really brings the element of
spontaneity and groove to the ensemble. I really have a lot of
bass-heavy lines, a lot of intricate bass lines, and he always seems to
add his own personality to it and make it groove even harder than what I
imagined at first. So I really appreciate his role in the ensemble. And
then we’ve got E.J. Strickland, who’s been a collaborator with me since
the womb [laughs], and he’s just somebody extremely close to
me who also happens to be one of the most incredible drummers I’ve ever
played with. And I’m not even being biased, it’s just he’s just
incredible. He really understands how to shape the music—one advantage
he might have is that he hears the music while it’s being created ’cause
we live together [laughs]. He’s an amazing musician with a lot
of sensitivity and he also brings a lot of energy to the group. And
David Bryant, that’s the latest addition to the group, playing piano.
After playing trio for a while I got very aware of the piano’s role. I
began to hear different ways to use the piano other than just playing
chords. So the piano parts are a little more intricate than before, now
that I’ve returned to quartet. And he definitely embraced that with a
lot of grace and he has just a great imagination. All these guys are
very spontaneous. That’s something I really look for in people I
hire—people who add something other than what’s on the paper. So yeah, I
really appreciate the current ensemble that I have. It fits like a
glove, man, I’m very comfortable every time I play with them and I’d
like to keep it that way.
Buy Triumph of the Heavy, Vol. 1 & 2 from Amazon
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7446157/marcus-strickland-drive-video-interview-premiere
Marcus Strickland Debuts 'Drive' Video, Talks Jazz, Hip-Hop & Why He Makes 'Black American Music'
Saxophonist Marcus Strickland can play the standards with the best of them -- just ask Roy Haynes and Ron Carter. But, especially after his April album Nihil Novi -- produced by multi-hypenate Meshell Ndegeocello -- he's far from just another jazz musician. Drawing from the worlds of hip-hop, R&B, and beyond, Strickland is part of a wave of artists applying the flexibility and openness of jazz to other genres, as is demonstrated here in the live video of Novi track "Drive," premiered exclusively on Billboard below.
The video features Strickland alongside an all-star band, including drummer Chris Dave (Adele, D'Angelo). "He can play in a bar in the hood, and be just as comfortable as he is playing in Carnegie Hall," says Strickland.
Watch the video below, and read on to learn more about Strickland's thoughts on the ever-entwined worlds of hip-hop and jazz.
What are some of the things that influenced you during the making of this album that people might not expect?
Starting around 2004, I was just so excited about beatmakers: J Dilla, DJ Premier, and Madlib. It was basically all I was listening to at that point -- mainly because before that, people didn't really pay that much attention to the producers. They'd listen to A Tribe Called Quest, and be like, "Wow, Tribe is dope" -- but they didn't really understand why. Now, all people talk about is the producer. Once I discovered that it was J Dilla behind the music of Slum Village and later Tribe stuff, I just went on a rampage, listening to anything I could find by Dilla. He turned into this monster of an inspiration. I really loved Madlib too -- one of my favorite beats of his is "Meat Grinder."
The best thing to do to show your appreciation is just to try to do what they're doing, so I learned a lot about what makes those tracks sound so good. It opened me up to a whole other world of production. It's not really about genres anymore at all, and I think jazz artists in particular have been kind of stifled by the genre name. They think, "Oh 'jazz', I guess I have to swing, or I guess I have to take a 50 minute solo." I started to get tired of that.
Most of my records have traces of this, but this is definitely the strongest statement of all the different components of me as an artist. I had this drive to become proficient on my instrument as a saxophonist, but at the same time I'm over here messing with these beats -- sampling things and turning them around and EQing the hi-hat so it sounds just right in the listener's ear. It's great to finally find a natural place for this to all exist in the same habitat -- that's what this record is about.
Lauryn Hill & Brian Wilson Help Keep the Montreal Jazz Festival Humming
It really feels like jazz is coming full circle -- back into the mainstream, a little, as people start to see more that that's where the roots of so much contemporary music lie.
Yeah, it's incredible -- I love the many connections between hip-hop and jazz. When jazz came on the scene, it wasn't seen as "America's classical music." It was seen as devil's music, and it was played in brothels. Jazz was seen as this lowly thing because it wasn't made by the right demographic for it to be considered art made by geniuses. I think the same thing happened with hip-hop: they both had the same kind of curse at the beginning, but it's inevitable that eventually, it will be revered just as highly as jazz is now.
The thing that's very ironic is how many jazz musicians look down on hip-hop. That's just so turned around. I was born in 1979, so most of the music that surrounded me was hip-hop. A lot of hip-hop musicians, I feel, could have been great jazz musicians if they had instruments in their schools -- but they didn't. So they had to make music from other people's music. A lot of genius comes from needing something, and not having the normal means of attaining it.
Necessity is the mother of invention, right?
But I revere hip-hop. Some jazz musicians and hip-hop musicians might cringe to hear me say that, to hear me use jazz and hip-hop -- but they're really connected. I played with Ron Carter in Brazil, and I was just asking him about all the samples that have used his bass lines. He was like, "Yeah man, I'm cool with all of them." He has all his paperwork done and everything -- no one's taking anything from him -- and he's cool with the music too.
Yeah, I had that conversation with Herbie Hancock a little -- he's really into Kendrick Lamar's latest record, To Pimp A Butterfly.
I've been in so many conversations with fellow jazz musicians who are like, "Why is everybody so hype about Kendrick's record? It's not even jazz!" Like, first of all, it has more swing on it than most jazz records this year. Second of all, why not? He represents what's around us right now -- to try to exist in a vacuum is the opposite of jazz. Jazz is supposed to be the present time. He's more of a jazz musician than these so-called jazz purists, in that respect.
What are you listening to these days?
The thing that's playing most on my iPhone right now is Anderson .Paak. He's been on the radar for a while. The Internet. KING. Ambrose Akinmusire -- these are all my homies, too. Theo Croker. Victor Gould. Those guys are on smaller labels. Marc Cary.
Anything I missed?
The thing is, with combining these kinds of music...they were never really separate. They just came out of each other. R&B, soul, hip-hop, jazz, funk, rock -- it all came from the blues. It's from the black American experience. It's for everybody, but that's where it came from. A lot of the naming was not done by us, so it's almost like we're finding out the truth about something that's existed for a long time. That's probably the most profound thing for me. The more I learn about music, the more I find out about my culture and my people.
Do you prefer the term "black American music" to "jazz"?
I mean it's all music to me, at the end of the day -- but yeah, I prefer black American music to jazz because once you say jazz, people have this idea. Like, "Oh, it's gonna be Frank Sinatra tunes." It doesn't really describe what I'm doing -- it's a fuller scope than that. Jazz is part of it, I don't denounce that part -- but it's part of a greater thing. I think to be the most descriptive I can about what I'm doing, I have to call it black American music
#marcusstrickland #bilal #pharoahemonch
Marcus Strickland — On My Mind (feat. Bilal, Pharoahe Monch & Greg Tate) [OFFICIAL SHORT FILM, 4K]
June 4, 2020
Jazz Saxophonist Marcus Strickland has backed artists like Roy Haynes, Dave Douglas and many others. Strickland’s Twi-Life project blends element of jazz, fusion and hip-hop.
Strickland plays with a bright energy and drive. He also can recede into the background in service of a groove. While working as a sideman playing hard bop, Strickland would come off of gigs and assemble beats inspired by J Dilla and other like-minded innovators. The procss involved taking a few bars of rhythmic material and using it as the building block for larger compositions.
His band, Twi-Life, is named after the idea of being invigorated by the place where two worlds or two zones come together. They focus on intuition. Strickland switches between bass clarinet, soprano sax and tenor. Strickland and Twi-Life’s newest record, “People of the Sun,” continues on an exploration that draws on West African and Afro-Cuban influences. The music is expansive and groove-heavy. There’s a kinship with Kamasi Washington. One can hear a connection to D’Angelo, Stevie Wonder and the spirit of Sun Ra, filtered through an approachable and popular perspective. The new record has a lot of recorded and sampled spoken-word vocal snippets, giving it the feel of a poetry-reading jam session.
See Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life at The Side Door, 85 Lyme St., Old Lyme, on Dec. 14 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $45. 860-434-0886 or thesidedoorjazz.com.
