Marthaniel "Marcus" Roberts (born August 7, 1963) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher.

Early life

Roberts was born in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, United States. His mother was a gospel singer who had gone blind as a teenager, and his father was a longshoreman. Blind since age five due to

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...

and

cataracts A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision of the eye. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colours, blurry or double vision, halos around ligh ...

, Roberts started learning the piano at age five by picking out notes on the instrument at his church until his parents bought a piano when he was eight. He attended the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida, the alma mater of

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

. Roberts began teaching himself piano at an early age, having his first lesson at age 12, and then studying with Leonidas Lipovetsky while attending

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

Career

In the 1980s, Roberts replaced pianist

Kenny Kirkland Kenneth David Kirkland (September 28, 1955 – November 12, 1998) was an American pianist and keyboardist. Biography Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, United States, Kirkland was six when he first sat down at a piano keyboard. After years ...

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...

's band. Like Marsalis's, his music is rooted in the traditional jazz of the past. His style has been influenced more by

Jelly Roll Morton Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe ( Lemott, later Morton; c. September 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American blues and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer of Louisiana Creole descent. Morton was jazz ...

and

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz piano. A widely popular star ...

than

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965, and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA J ...

and

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

, with an emphasis on

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...

and stride piano rather than

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

. His album ''New Orleans Meets Harlem, Vol. 1'' (2009) covers music by

Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

, Morton, and Waller. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Savannah Music Festival commissioned Roberts's first piano concerto, ''Spirit of the Blues: Piano Concerto in C Minor''. He has performed as a soloist in symphony orchestras with Marin Alsop (1992) and

Seiji Ozawa was a Japanese conductor known internationally for his work as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and especially the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), where he served from 1973 for 29 years. After cond ...

. He returned to Japan in September 2014 to share the stage with Ozawa and the Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra. In 2012, Roberts founded the band The Modern Jazz Generation, which released its first album in October 2014. It has 12 musicians ranging in age from early 20s to 50s. He served as associate artistic director for the Savannah Music Festival as well as the director of the annual Swing Central high school band competition. He is on the faculty at

. In 2014, Roberts was profiled on the television show ''60 Minutes.'' Roberts received an honorary doctorate from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

(BYU) for the 2021 commencement on April 22. BYU conferred upon Roberts the degree of Doctor of Civic Engagement Through Music, ''honoris causa'', for his outstanding life and contributions to society and to the world. In his address, Roberts said: "We need to take time to really see each person, especially those who don't look or act like us, because if we hold onto and build upon that thread that binds us together, our ties will become stronger, we'll develop more of a sense of communion and trust with each other". As part of his address, Roberts performed a special piano musical arrangement of the gospel hymn "

Just a Closer Walk with Thee "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" is a traditional gospel song and jazz standard that has been performed and recorded by many artists. Performed as either an instrumental or vocal, "A Closer Walk" is perhaps the most frequently played number in the ...

". The degree conferral and address were video-recorded the previous weekend in Boston before being shown at BYU's commencement. Bard College appointed Roberts distinguished visiting professor of music for the 2020–21 academic year.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* ''The Truth Is Spoken Here'' (

Novus Novus (Latin, 'new') may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Novus Biologicals, later Bio-Techne, an American biotech company * Novus Entertainment, a Canadian telecommunications company * Novus International, an animal health and nutrition ...

, 1989) – recorded in 1988 * ''

Deep in the Shed Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary ...

'' (Novus/Sony, 1990) – recorded in 1989 * ''Alone with Three Giants'' (Novus, 1991) * ''Prayer for Peace'' (Novus, 1991) * ''As Serenity Approaches'' (Novus, 1991) * ''If I Could Be with You'' (Novus, 1993) * ''Gershwin for Lovers'' ( Columbia, 1994) * ''Portraits in Blue'' (Columbia/Sony, 1995) * ''Time and Circumstance'' (Columbia/Sony, 1996) * ''Blues for the New Millennium'' (Columbia, 1997) * ''The Joy of Joplin'' (Sony, 1998) * ''In Honor of Duke'' (Columbia, 1999) * ''Cole after Midnight'' (Columbia/Sony, 2001) * ''A Gershwin Night'' with

and

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

(EuroArts Music International, 2004) VD-Video– recorded in 2003 * '' Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F'' ( Philips Classics, 2006) * ''New Orleans Meets Harlem, Volume 1'' (J-Master, 2009) * ''Celebrating Christmas'' (J-Master, 2011) * ''Deep in the Shed: A Blues Suite'' (J-Master, 2012) * ''From Rags to Rhythm'' (J-Master, 2013) * ''Together Again: In the Studio'' with Wynton Marsalis (J-Master, 2013) * ''Together Again: Live in Concert'' with Wynton Marsalis (J-Master, 2013) * ''Romance, Swing, and the Blues'' (J-Master, 2014) * ''The Race for the White House'' (EP) (2016) * ''Trio Crescent: Celebrating Coltrane'' (J-Master, 2017)

As sideman

With

* '' J Mood'' (1986) – recorded in 1985 * '' Marsalis Standard Time, Vol. I'' (1987) – recorded in 1986 * '' Live at Blues Alley'' (1988) * '' The Majesty of the Blues'' (1989) – live recorded in 1986 * '' Crescent City Christmas Card'' (1989) * '' Standard Time, Vol. 2: Intimacy Calling'' (1990) * '' Thick in the South: Soul Gestures in Southern Blue, Vol. 1'' (1991) * '' Uptown Ruler: Soul Gestures in Southern Blue, Vol. 2'' (1991) * '' Levee Low Moan: Soul Gestures in Southern Blue, Vol. 3'' (1991) * '' Blue Interlude'' (1992) * '' Citi Movement'' (1993) * ''Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents: The Fire of the Fundamentals'' (1994) – in Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra * ''Jazz at Lincoln Center: They Came to Swing'' (1994) – in Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, recorded 1992–94. * ''Live at the Village Vanguard'' (1999) * ''The Marciac Suite'' (2000) * ''Swinging into the 21st'' (2011) * ''The Music of America'' (2021) With others * Mark Whitfield, ''The Marksman'' (1990) * Wycliffe Gordon/

Ron Westray Ronald Kenneth Westray Jr. (born June 13, 1970, in Columbia, South Carolina) is an American jazz trombonist, composer, and educator. He holds a B.A. from South Carolina State University and a Master of Arts degree from Eastern Illinois Univers ...

, ''Bone Structure'' (1996) * Marcus Printup, ''Unveiled'' (1996) *

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, playing music from bluegrass, jazz, classical, rock and various ...

, '' Across the Imaginary Divide'' (2012) * Jason Marsalis, ''Heirs of the Crescent City'' (2016) *

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain (instrumental), Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" ...

, ''The Musician'' (Concord Jazz, 2017) CDref name="AM credits">

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Marcus 1963 births Living people Post-bop pianists Hard bop pianists American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Musicians from Jacksonville, Florida Florida State University alumni Florida State University faculty Blind musicians Blind jazz musicians 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Blind scholars and academics American blind people American musicians with disabilities