Baltimore's
Todd Marcus has distinguished himself among his post-bop contemporaries as a harmonically engaging soloist whose propulsive architectural lines are made even more distinctive by his choice of instrument, the bass clarinet. A favorite of luminaries like the late
Eric Dolphy,
David Murray, and
Don Byron, the bass clarinet is nonetheless a less-played, and therefore less-appreciated instrument in jazz. In
Marcus' hands, however, it's in full flower, grabbing the spotlight in ways normally heard by the trumpet and tenor sax.
Marcus spotlights his dynamic low-end sound to superb effect on his fourth album, 2019's
Trio+. Joining him are an equally adventurous cadre of associates including, at various times, veteran drummer Ralph Peterson, bassist Jeff Reed, drummer
Eric Kennedy, and bassist
Ameen Saleem. Also adding his own high-energy dynamism is former Jazz at Lincoln Center trumpeter and Peabody Jazz Department head
Sean Jones. The first half of the album is made up of
Marcus' "Something Suite," a kinetic and moody four-part work inspired by
Sonny Rollins' "Freedom Suite" and played in a trio configuration with Peterson and
Saleem. There's a textural quality to
Marcus' work as his warm lines bump up against Peterson's lithe brush work and
Saleem's woody bass tones. He achieves an equally tactile aesthetic elsewhere, expanding to a quartet with
Jones for the buoyant "Amy Pookie," their bop-inflected lines evoking the harmolodic jazz of
Ornette Coleman and
Don Cherry. Also compelling is
Marcus and
Jones' duet for an introspective reading of the standard "My Foolish Heart."
Marcus draws inspiration from another bass clarinet touchstone, offering a groove-oriented take on
Bennie Maupin's Middle Eastern-tinged "Neophilia." He also shifts to the higher-pitched Bb clarinet for his wry chamber waltz "Cantata." At turns dusky and bright,
Marcus'
Trio+ is endless engaging. ~ Matt Collar