reviews

Selected comments

"Michael Marcus comes out of Coltrane, Kirk, and Dolphy but has his own sound." Thomas Conrad, Downbeat Magazine

"Marcus writes some of the finest tunes on the avant-garde scene." Time Out Magazine, NY

"Michael Marcus is a passionate player and a fluent composer of themes that inspire improvisers." Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe

"He plays on that Dolphy-esque knife between inside and outside that makes for joyous listening." Ben Watson, The Wire Magazine

"Michael Marcus has what every saxophone player strives for:  an immediately identifiable sound that speaks of soul, blues, and gritty edginess." Irwin Block, The Montreal Gazette

"Michael Marcus has it all...a disctinctive signature voice on all his horns, imagination as a soloist, the ability to write serpentine melodies with hooks, and the respect of his peers." Avant Magazine

"Michael Marcus is an excellent saxophonist who plays with extraordinary passion and inventiveness." Peter Evoskevich, Saxophone Magazine

"Here is a soloist that has style, flair, and soul." Ron Wynn, Jazz Times

"From the soul.  Marcus creates tone poems that swing." Jim Santella, AllAboutJazz.com

"Marcus goes for truth - wails an impassioned song." Rex Butler, All About Jazz, LA.

"Marcus creates brave music from deep spiritual wells." Cadence Magazine

"Michael Marcus is the most expressive and consistently rewarding reedists around." Jeff Stockton, All About Jazz, NY

"Master improvising clarinetist!" Cadence Magazine, 2007

Articles

Soulifications and Magnitudes (Cosmosamatics) on Gaz-Eta, review by Tom Sekowski

Whether in his trio, quartet or sharing the bill in The Cosmosamatics, over the last couple of decades reedman Michael Marcus has been a potent force in the world of progressive jazz. These two sessions highlight his more recent accomplishments in two separate scenarios.

With the trio, Marcus seems to be more controlled. "Soulifications" is evidence he has a firm grasp of his horns, though he does tend to go off on tangents from time to time. This is when the playing gets interesting. Sure a slower piece like "News From Sedna" is good in its mood setting quality, but when it comes to overheated blowing, nothing quite matches the whirl-wind sensational huff'n'puff of "Talk-Walk". Through its melodious core, peeps the head of a brutal, mean horn player who wants to brutalize the listener with his machinations on the tenor. This isn't over-blowing in any sense or form. Rather, Marcus is simply extending his hand for you to follow him along on a journey of self-discovery, to a place where horns sound more brisk, where players take chances, where three people sharing the same stage can communicate perfectly without the use of words. Rhythm section is especially fit to follow Marcus along on his quest. Percussionist Nasheet Waits and bassist Tarus Mateen create a firm wall of semi-rhythmic pulsations. Waits is especially effective as he uses mallets and hi-hats to the max, while Waits' use of electric bass is a welcome change of scenery, which gives the trio a more funk-filled sound. Marcus is a dragon who knows how to breathe the perfect breath of fire into his horns. No matter whether he's extending his technique on the tenor, saxello or clarinet, the sound is unmistakably his and his alone.

Going on ten years strong, The Cosmosamatics is a vehicle for reedmen Sonny Simmons and Michael Marcus. More than half a dozen records later, they release "Magnitudes", a session dating back to 2003. Having heard their previous efforts, I still can't get over how tight the musical interaction is between Simmons and Marcus. It's as if the two were equal parts of the same brain. When Simmons spews out melodic phrases on his alto, Marcus follows suit with something that is equally as lovely on his baritone or clarinet. Sometimes, Marcus will challenge Simmons to play from a different perspective than he's used to playing. Simmons is a brave soul and takes the challenge each and every time. Listen to the way the duo interacts on "Tonal Magnitudes - take 1" - Sonny is swirling in his own little world, while Marcus pursues a more melodic path. All throughout the album the rhythm section of percussionist Jay Rosen and bassist Tarus Mateen make a solid ruckus. Their dissonance is a nice change especially when the two leaders get into more melodic sections. Another great number is "Avant Garde Destruct - take 2", as Marcus and Simmons trade off on some fiery duos, attacking their perceptions as well as whatever preconceived notions a virgin listener may have had about their music. The album ends on another high note, with a bare-boned interpretation of Monk's "'Round About Midnight". Solid effort through and through, which further establishes Michael Marcus as a major player on the jazz scene today.

Magic Door on Jazzreview, review by Glenn Astarita

This outing, featuring an alternating lineup was recorded in New York City by multi-reed ace Michael Marcus who performs solely on Bb clarinet. And other than a string of generally acclaimed solo outings for various record labels, the artist’s teaming with sax legend Sonny Simmons in the Cosmosamatics unit intimates a radiant entry within his broad discography. Moving forward, Marcus’ corpulent tone and resonating lines are consummated by his mood-evoking and lyrically-resplendent phraseology. His keenly articulated mode of action, shadowed by cellist Daniel Levin’s counterbalancing lines executed on three pieces, offer but a few of many highlights.

Marcus renders a whimsical sequence of choruses during his homage to the late clarinetist, titled “Hey Pee Wee (for Pee Wee Russell).” Yet the musicians also skirt the outside during key passages such as “Abstractions in Lime Caverns,” where Francois Grillot’s gruff bowed-bass maneuvers nicely contrast Marcus’ lamentable voicings. Here and during other movements, the clarinetist works atop fragmented pulses while exploring a hodgepodge of divergent angles. Consequently, the musicians also engage in swing metrics and introspective frameworks. One of my favorite compositions is “Morning Daffodil,” which is a theme-building exercise framed upon the leader and bassist Eric Revis’ intimate alignment, gently dappled by drummer Newman Taylor Barker’s soft brushes.

Marcus’ clarinet performances more than compensate for a lack of a chord-based instrument as he artfully contrasts his sound with the lower-end of the spectrum throughout. Nonetheless, the band sustains interest amid a high-entertainment factor that equates to a curiously interesting listen.

Magic Door on Stef's blog

The first album I heard with Michael Marcus was "Ithem" a sax trio with William Parker and Dennis Charles, and I was immediately charmed by this excellent musician. He has a very strong sense of melody and pitch when improvizing, a great sense of swing in his compositions, a clear respect for the traditional form which he recreates in a very open modern format. Whether he plays with Jaki Byard, the Cosmosamatics or in other bands, his core characteristics are always present as they are on this record. He sticks to his clarinet on all songs, with Jay Rosen on drums and François Grillot on bass on most tracks. Daniel Levin plays cello on three pieces and Rahsaan Carter and Eric Revis play bass on one track each, and Newton Taylor Baker drums on one track. Anyone interested in melodic free jazz with a great swing feeling, should look this one up.

Duology on AllAboutJazz.com, review by Troy Collins.

Duology pairs multi-instrumentalist Michael Marcus and trumpeter Ted Daniel in a series of unique, vibrant duets. Eschewing his usual arsenal of horns, Marcus limits himself to B-flat clarinet, while Daniel alternates between a few members of the trumpet family for subtle variety. With a selection of brief skeletal miniatures, Marcus and Daniel deliver a snapshot of jazz history, from its syncopated Dixieland roots to AACM-influenced abstraction.

Both seasoned veterans, Marcus and Daniel use these fundamental tools of the jazz canon to generate everything from lyrical ballads and swinging counterpoint to avant garde textures. The resonant woody timbre of the clarinet provides a supple contrast to the brassy bite of the trumpet, while muted horn punctuations offer a honeyed buffer to the clarion call of the tiny reed's upper register.

Marcus penned half the tunes; the rest are divided between Daniel's compositions and free improvisations. Whether soloing in unison over quirky themes or providing supple support, these two players maintain focus on often knotty structures. Although the limited instrumental palette might seem constraining on paper, in reality they offer a surprising array of sounds.

Beyond the reminiscences of early Dixieland, the clarinet/trumpet combination recalls the dynamic John Carter/Bobby Bradford partnership of the early 1980s and the rich polyphonic angularity of the classic Ornette Coleman/Don Cherry front line.

Regular collaborators through the 1990s, after being introduced by Frank Lowe, Marcus and Daniel pay homage to the iconic tenor saxophonist on the aptly titled Sweet 'N' Lowe, a sultry blues meditation that slides easily alongside the casual swing of Lunar Shuffle. On the jaunty riffing of O.C., they prove that swing isn't dependent on an actual rhythm section so much as implied rhythm.

Their dialogue is rich, yet never verbose, as evident on the pensive Spiral Landscapes. A turbulent outré side is revealed on the circuitous interplay of Module and the visceral sonic labyrinth of Wiggle Room. Dedication to the tunes' structure never falters, however, whether blending Old World swing with freewheeling expression on Knock Knock or exploring the extreme outer limits of sound on Dark Sun and Rhythm in Green.

Duology might not be for all tastes, but for those in search of deep listening and intense improvisation, it's hard to beat.

Duology on AllAboutJazz.com, review by Budd Kopman.

Duology is an extremely interesting album that shows how much musical communication depends upon the players and not the instrumentation. Michael Marcus, who plays all manner of reed instruments, sticks to Bb clarinet here, while Ted Daniel plays four members of the trumpet family, including something called a Moroccan bugle.
The lack of a rhythm section and chordal instrument actually expands the possibilities of interaction between Marcus and Daniel. Once the starkness of the musical setting is accepted, what has been created can be appreciated as quite remarkable. Saxophonist Frank Lowe introduced the two men to each other twenty years ago and their familiarity shows.

Of the thirteen tracks, six are listed as Marcus compositions, three by Daniel with the remaining four dually listed, which might mean free improvisations. Stylistically, the tracks range from having a New Orleans feel, through bebop-ish lines to avant-garde sonic constructions.

What will be immediately obvious even to the listener who looks for more overt structure, is that Marcus and Daniel listen to each other closely and hence produce a sound that is less two lines of differing timbres intertwining than a merging of the woody reed and brass sounds into something that is both and neither simultaneously.

There are actual recognizable tune structures (”Knock Knock,” “Sonic Corridors,” “O.C.,” Module,” “Lunar Shuffle” and “Sweet 'N' Lowe”) which provide foundations for the improvisations that follow. The free improvisations (”Dark Sun,” “Wiggle Room,” “Human Factor” and “Rhythm In Green”) hold together very well, primarily due to the intense familiarity that Daniel and Marcus bring to the task at hand.

The two solo tracks, “Pagan Spain” from Daniel and “Cotton Candy” from Marcus are almost refreshing and show how a skillful musician can create structure and maintain interest while using the barest of materials. “Spiral Landscapes” falls in between the labels of structure and free, having a contrapuntally tonal feel that contrasts with the free rhythms.

Duology shares much with Organic Resonance (Pi Recordings, 2003), by Wada Leo Smith and Anthony Braxton, besides instrumentation. Both might take some open ears and time to “get inside of,” but both can be very rewarding.

Soulifications in Cadence Magazine, January 2007, page 133., review by Marc Medwin.

Michael Marcus has never sounded better. His playing is somehow fuller than I've heard it before, and the ideas succeed each other more fluidly than I remember. He can make those huge sweeps in tonal center that only a master improvising clarinetist can pull off, and I hear no effort in the process. His range on the tenor is stunning, as it has been for some time, but the phrases just flow out of him now, fusing Albert Ayler with Sonny Simmons - obviously - in a beautiful symbiosis that is greater than the sum of the parts. Even the overdubs, which can be sterile in the wrong hands, demonstate virtuosity rather than drawing attention to studio gimmickry. The rhythm section is just as good, Nasheet Waits alternating between explosiveness and subtlety, while Tarus Mateen's slithery support gets in and around each sound the other players put forth.

Despite all the good playing, I'm left with the feeling that the session simply doesn't fly. It could come from a certain formulaic approach to the improvised sections, especially in louder passages, where new thing ankst becomes almost parodistic. Quieter moments, such as those throughout most of News from Sedna, are ravishing, and I wish the disc had more of these. Head treatments are also gorgeous, both intricate and forceful, and I can't help feeling that forty years of "free" playing could have had a bit more influence on the heads' implications throughout the tune.

However, some really fine soloing goes some way toward making up for any lack of focus in group improv; again, Waits proves himself one of the most facile and timbrally inventive drummers around today, and when the music works as a
totality instead of highlighting each player as a soloist, it is mesmerizing. The disc's title is an apt one, even if the historical perspective underlying the music is at times just a trifle too obvious.

Free Within The Law on AllAboutJazz.com, review by Nic Jones.

This group has fortunately been documented quite a few times on record, and consequently this disc offers insight into an ongoing affair. The front line of woodwind multi-instrumentalists Sonny Simmons and Michael Marcus has now not only established the kind of rapport Simmons used to have with Prince Lasha forty odd years ago, but also moved beyond it, which is just as it should be.

This is abundantly obvious from the off. The opening title track finds the two men jousting like there's no tomorrow, with lines spinning off into the ether at a high rate. Their efforts are given ample substance by the bass and drums of Peter Herbert and Art Lewis respectively, a duo alert to every rhythmic nuance and capable of imparting enough drive to move mountains.

The sly funk of Simmons's “Afro Funk” proves there's more to this group than all out blowing. The composer's English horn is an instrument he's made his own in this area of the music and its keening edge provides a nice contrast with Marcus's John Carter-influenced Bb clarinet. Again the two men converse over the rhythmic backdrop for a while before Simmons solos and the overall effect is happily that of four men in thrall to the greater idea that the music inevitably is.

The same funk applies to Marcus's “May-Lee-High-Young.” Down home in terms of rhythmic contours, Simmons puts in some of his most effective work on this one, showing how much he's absorbed the Ornette Coleman strand and refined it to the point where his is the voice that emerges at the expense of all others. Marcus's tenor sax here is garrulous without being overbearing, not least because he too has long since arrived at the point of personal expression, which is just as it should be.

In such company, Marcus's “Morning Daffodil” has an elegiac air about it, which fulfills the promise of the title. Lewis employs brushes in a manner which brings out the innate beauty of the reeds mens' lines and Marcus shows, in no uncertain terms, how his appreciation of the tradition goes back decades. Again the balance between form preconceived and form spontaneous is finely struck and the results are compelling.