Marsalis Alumnus Seeks Balance in Traditional Context : Jazz: Marcus Roberts brings his eclectic-sounding sextet to San Juan Capistrano. His music ranges from the pianism of Jelly Roll Morton and Thelonious Monk to the ensemble textures of Duke Ellington.

It’s been a little more than a month since Marcus Roberts started out on the road with his own band, and he has enjoyed every minute of it. The pianist, a veteran of five years with Wynton Marsalis’ group, appears tonight with his own eclectic-sounding sextet at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.

“I miss Wynton,” Roberts said in a conversation earlier this week. “He’s a great musician. But on another level, it’s time for me to move on. I played with Wynton for about five years, so now we’ll see how long I can stay out here with my own group.”

The recent release of Roberts’ mainstream-oriented Novus album, “Deep in the Shed,” has confirmed his position as one of the role models for a generation of young musicians fascinated with traditional jazz elements. Tonight’s Coach House audience will hear music that ranges from the pianism of Jelly Roll Morton and Thelonious Monk to the ensemble textures of Duke Ellington.

Roberts confesses to having a special affection for Ellington’s method of constructing music based on the unique sounds and techniques of individual musicians.

“Duke had it right,” he said. “It’s what you have to do if you’re going to make good music. You have to take into consideration the strength of each person, and how they play their particular instrument. To me, that’s the real challenge of composition--to combine the sounds and styles of all the individuals into a group context that reflects your individual musical philosophy. The individual versus the group--that’s the basic stuff of jazz.”

Like Marsalis, Roberts said he believes strongly in creating a musical environment that will be attractive to young players.

He said he hopes that “I can create a strong musical identity for the group--one that will allow the other musicians I’m using to grow. And it’s not all that easy because there’s obviously a lot more pressure when you have to lead a group instead of be a sideman.

“With Wynton, all I had to do was let him take care of the business while I played my music. Now I have to do both, which means my musical philosophy has to be as well thought out as Wynton’s is.”

In fact, Roberts has led various groups of his own since his college days at Florida State University and has a musical philosophy that is very well thought out, indeed.

“The important thing,” he said, “is that the people you’re using should be familiar with your music. Anyone who starts to play with Wynton Marsalis’ group, or Miles Davis’ group, for example, has to know the music on all their records.

“It’s the same thing with me. My musicians are responsible to know all the material on the two albums I’ve put out. They can try different things--express their own musical personalities--just so long as they don’t tamper with the basic organization of the music.”

Roberts, who has been blind since the age of 4, began studying piano seriously when he was 12. He spent four years at Florida State as a classical piano major, studying with Leonidus Lipovetsky. His big breakthrough came in 1985, when he became a member of Marsalis’ group. True to his own convictions, he learned the entire Marsalis repertoire before he joined the band.

Current plans call for a continued summer tour, followed by the release of a solo piano recording (already completed) devoted to the music of Ellington, Monk and Morton.

“It’s one of a number of things I want to do,” Roberts said. “In the future, I hope to make individual recordings of the music of each of those composers. My goal is to present the piano in a whole range of different perspectives.

“I’m really fortunate to have the chance to do so many things in music. A lot of individuals don’t get this kind of opportunity, and I value it highly.”

For the moment, however, Roberts is content to explore the ever-changing sounds of his current touring group.

“The people who come to hear us (tonight) are going to hear some quality music--you can be sure of that. Hopefully, if they check it out carefully, they’ll find something they like. And even if they don’t, I’ll bet they’ll hear something that moves them a little bit.”

Pianist Marcus Roberts plays jazz at 8 p.m. at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. Tickets: $13.50. Information: (714) 496-8930.