Biography
Saxophonist Marcus Strickland, who also composes and leads ensembles, belongs to the pioneering circle that has shaped jazz in the present century. Alongside his identical twin E.J. Strickland on drums and peers such as Jeremy Pelt and Robert Glasper, he helped reinvigorate the music after the Fusion period, much as an earlier wave of players had done in the early 1980s, by dissolving lines that once separated jazz from hip hop, funk, and soul.
A five-year engagement with drummer Roy Haynes preceded two early recordings on the Fresh Sound New Talent imprint. At Last appeared in 2001 and Brotherhood followed in 2003; both showcased the emerging voices of Pelt, Glasper, and bassist Brandon Owens in a lyrical yet intense contemporary style. Over the ensuing three years Strickland traveled with Jeff "Tain" Watts, Haynes, and Dave Douglas while maintaining his own group’s schedule.
In 2006 he issued the double album Twi-Life on his Strick Muzik label, an independent venture that earned widespread critical acclaim and the JazzTimes Readers’ Poll designation of Best New Artist. The following year the Twi-Life ensemble documented a live performance as Open Reel Deck on the same imprint, featuring guitarist Lage Lund, electric bassist Carlos Henderson, drummer E.J. Strickland, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, the hip-hop-tinged poetry of Malachi, and pianist Jon Cowherd on a single track; the set explored funk, hip-hop, Afrobeat, rock, ska, and jungle grooves.
DownBeat’s 2008 Critics’ Poll named Strickland Rising Star on soprano saxophone. Two further albums arrived in 2009: the straight-ahead Of Song on Criss Cross, recorded with E.J. Strickland, Ben Williams, and David Bryant, and the more experimental Idiosyncracies on the newly named SMK imprint. Across his career he has collaborated with artists including Mos Def, Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, the Charles Tolliver Big Band, and Tom Harrell.
Strickland released the double-disc set Triumph of the Heavy, Vols. 1 & 2 independently in 2011, one disc capturing a concert by his longstanding trio with E.J. Strickland and Ben Williams, the other documenting a studio quartet that added pianist David Bryant. He joined the Blue Note roster in 2015 and contributed a version of Janet Jackson’s 1986 hit “Let's Wait Awhile” alongside vocalist Christie Dashiell. His first full-length Blue Note album, Nihil Novi, appeared in spring 2016; produced by Meshell N'Degeocello, it introduced a refreshed Twi-Life lineup comprising trumpeter Harrold, bassist Kyle Miles, drummer Charles Haynes, organist Mitch Henry, and keyboardist Masayuki Hirano, with additional appearances by vocalist Jean Baylor, bassist Pino Palladino, drummer Chris Dave, guitarist Chris Bruce, and pianist Robert Glasper.
Two years afterward the group delivered its second Blue Note recording, the self-produced People of the Sun, whose personnel now included Ghanaian-born, U.S.-based percussionist Weedie Braimah. The single “On My Mind” incorporated guest turns from Bilal, Pharoahe Monch, and Greg Tate.
A five-year engagement with drummer Roy Haynes preceded two early recordings on the Fresh Sound New Talent imprint. At Last appeared in 2001 and Brotherhood followed in 2003; both showcased the emerging voices of Pelt, Glasper, and bassist Brandon Owens in a lyrical yet intense contemporary style. Over the ensuing three years Strickland traveled with Jeff "Tain" Watts, Haynes, and Dave Douglas while maintaining his own group’s schedule.
In 2006 he issued the double album Twi-Life on his Strick Muzik label, an independent venture that earned widespread critical acclaim and the JazzTimes Readers’ Poll designation of Best New Artist. The following year the Twi-Life ensemble documented a live performance as Open Reel Deck on the same imprint, featuring guitarist Lage Lund, electric bassist Carlos Henderson, drummer E.J. Strickland, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, the hip-hop-tinged poetry of Malachi, and pianist Jon Cowherd on a single track; the set explored funk, hip-hop, Afrobeat, rock, ska, and jungle grooves.
DownBeat’s 2008 Critics’ Poll named Strickland Rising Star on soprano saxophone. Two further albums arrived in 2009: the straight-ahead Of Song on Criss Cross, recorded with E.J. Strickland, Ben Williams, and David Bryant, and the more experimental Idiosyncracies on the newly named SMK imprint. Across his career he has collaborated with artists including Mos Def, Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, the Charles Tolliver Big Band, and Tom Harrell.
Strickland released the double-disc set Triumph of the Heavy, Vols. 1 & 2 independently in 2011, one disc capturing a concert by his longstanding trio with E.J. Strickland and Ben Williams, the other documenting a studio quartet that added pianist David Bryant. He joined the Blue Note roster in 2015 and contributed a version of Janet Jackson’s 1986 hit “Let's Wait Awhile” alongside vocalist Christie Dashiell. His first full-length Blue Note album, Nihil Novi, appeared in spring 2016; produced by Meshell N'Degeocello, it introduced a refreshed Twi-Life lineup comprising trumpeter Harrold, bassist Kyle Miles, drummer Charles Haynes, organist Mitch Henry, and keyboardist Masayuki Hirano, with additional appearances by vocalist Jean Baylor, bassist Pino Palladino, drummer Chris Dave, guitarist Chris Bruce, and pianist Robert Glasper.
Two years afterward the group delivered its second Blue Note recording, the self-produced People of the Sun, whose personnel now included Ghanaian-born, U.S.-based percussionist Weedie Braimah. The single “On My Mind” incorporated guest turns from Bilal, Pharoahe Monch, and Greg Tate.
Albums
Introducing Keyon Harrold
2009
Of Song
2009
Gifts And Givers
2009
Twi-Life (2 CDs)
2006
Brotherhood
2003
At Last
2001
Singles