Todd Marcus may be the most prominent bass clarinetist in modern jazz. The Baltimore-based composer, bandleader and activist makes a strong case for why the instrument deserves more recognition; whether he’s coxing out deep melancholy in ballads or unleashing a cascade of overtones in “sheets of sound” style-playing.

Much of Marcus’ early work as a bandleader saw him explore his Egyptian heritage, tying pharaonic themes and Arab music theory to jazz large ensembles and small combos. He topped CapitalBop’s “Best of 2018” list with his portrait of West Baltimore, On These Streets, and explores furious, “chordless” small combo dynamics on his new album Trio+.

He performs a live stream broadcast from Baltimore’s An Die Musik Live with trumpeter Sean Jones and Trio+ band.

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