CSMA welcomed the Marcus Shelby Quartet for a free concert on Saturday, January 15, 2021 livestreaming on CSMA’s YouTube channel. Shelby and his quartet performed a jazz tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to celebrate his legacy as a civil rights leader.
We spoke with Marcus Shelby to learn more about him and what the audience can expect from the quartet’s performance.
Marcus Shelby, bass
Tell us a little about yourself. How did you begin playing and performing music?
I started playing music in church as a young child and later joined the school orchestra when I was in the 7th grade. The church is where I first heard the sound of the blues but didn’t know it would have a significant impact on the music I would later play as a professional musician.
Did you have access to music education in school?
Fortunately, I did have access to music in my various schools, although I didn’t have many role models early on that encouraged me to take music seriously and pursue it professionally. I ended up going to college on a basketball scholarship and studying electrical engineering. It wasn’t until my senior year in college that I returned to music after attending a Wynton Marsalis concert that changed my life.
Tell us about a great music teacher you had.
James Newton was my composition teacher at Cal Arts and he inspired me to pursue the music of Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus. The life and music of these two great composers empowered me to realize the power of the blues and the intersection of music with other art forms which has now been my practice for over 25 years. My other teacher was drummer Billy Higgins who taught me the value of music and art, and how they can transform an entire community.
How often do you practice and/or rehearse?
Every day I either practice, write and arrange, check out a performance, read about a creative historical artist or study a score. I have tried to find diverse avenues within music that includes different styles and cultural influences.
What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?
Try to discover what you love most about the world of music. Expose yourself to different styles and genres. Travel. Read about the lives of those who have had an impact on your artwork. Lastly, see yourself in the context of great composers and performers. Believe you too can achieve greatness.
Tell us about the other musicians in your quartet that will be performing with you in Tateuchi Hall.
I will be performing with trumpeter Bill Ortiz who I have worked with for over 20 years in different bands. He is a long-time member of my big band orchestra and a world-class musician who worked with Santana for over 15 years and records and leads his own groups. On piano Luis Manuel Gonzales Peralta—a young musician who graduated from the Oakland School of the Arts who I met three years ago and has been a member of my quartet since then. Last but not least is the extraordinary drummer Sylvia Cuenca who has spent over three decades performing and recording in New York City and is one of the most celebrated and beloved drummers in our art form.
What inspired you to pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?
I have used music and music composition as a way to learn more about my history and to also project the stories of Black America—past, present and future. The interest in the history of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the music of the civil rights movement was born out of the desire to have a more personal connection to this history. I spent three years researching, traveling down south and spending artist residencies at the University of Chicago and Columbia Black Music Research Center before I composed “Soul of the Movement: Meditations on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” which is a suite of music for a big band orchestra.
What can the audience expect during the performance in Tateuchi Hall?
We will play small group arrangements of some of the music from our recording “Soul of the Movement: Meditations on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” and I will discuss the importance of blues, swing, spirituals and freedom songs during the civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Watch Marcus Shelby Quartet’s tribute concert on CSMA’s YouTube channel. Subscribe so you don’t miss out!
