Todd Marcus Quintet

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“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 New York Times

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