A Quintet of Young Players for...

A great believer in the jazz tradition, Marcus Roberts may be one of the best bets for its survival through the next decade. His work as pianist and orchestrator for Wynton Marsalis has revealed a deep commitment to the mainstream values of harmonic improvisation, melodic creativity and rhythmic swing.

As an improviser, Roberts finds inspiration in the musical conceptualizing of Duke Ellington, the disjunct rhythms and off-beat harmonies of Thelonious Monk and the spirituality of John Coltrane--not a bad combination of influences.

His soloing--best typified on his Novus recording “The Truth Is Spoken Here”--flows easily from the familiarity of the blues to the eccentricities of the avant-garde. And it is part of Roberts’ considerable skill that he manages to do so in completely seamless fashion, connecting the past to the present without the trace of a misstep.