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| Marcus Shelby's press page includes reviews on concert performances, upcoming performances, award ceremonies, film work, interviews, partners, and novelty articles. Please click on any of the links below to learn more about Marcus Shelby and the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra.
photo: Thomas J. Story [sunset.com] Downloadable press materials Marcus Shelby/MSJO Press pack Recent Articles SFGate San Francisco
Chronicle
The California
Report Magazine 2006-05-05 The “10
Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area” for 2005 Marcus Shelby is an award winning composer, arranger, educator and bassist working in San Francisco. His credits include original scoring for film, theater and dance as well as jazz composition for his own groups, the 15-piece Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra and the Marcus Shelby Trio. He is nationally recognized for his innovative and collaborative approach to composing and arranging for text, the visual arts, dance and theater and for his commitment to using jazz to narrate the rich history of African Americans. Marcus Shelby is on the faculty at San Francisco State University and U.C. Berkeley’s Young Musicians Program. More...
Arturo Gómez "Its been awhile since I've been so hyped about a new release, I have been a fan of Marcus Shelby since day 1 with Black Note. His leader recordings either as a trio or with orchestra have always been enjoyable, now there's Port Chicago. Being aware of the Port Chicago incident since the 1970's I was surprised someone addressed this little known and often hidden part of history. The subject matter is provocative as is the music. Last year Irvin Mayfield had a similar concept album with his Strange Fruit look at lynching. Two snaps for Marcus."
"At once a sober examination of World War II, a celebration of human movement and an impassioned call to justice, Marcus Shelby's bold Port Chicago suite weaves historical threads into a thoroughly modern statement."
Jazz Week JPL list I'll throw in some shout-outs to a couple of excellent upcoming releases by SF Bay Area artists... "The Marcus
Shelby Jazz Orchestra's "Port Chicago" (Noir Records)
is a fantastic 14-part score for jazz ballet, inspired by the story
of African-Americans working in unsafe conditions at the Port Chicago
facility in Oakland during WWII. The horrendous munitions explosion
there in July 1944 killed 320 men, most of them African-Americans.
A subsequent wo rk stoppage by the survivors led to a massive mutiny
trial with 50 convictions (clemency was granted after the war, and
one man was formally pardoned --by Bill Clinton in 1999!). Anyway,
I got a preview copy of the disc a few days ago for a magazine article
I'm writing about Marcus, and I can't stop listening to it. It has
a great blend of Ellingtonian 40s big band swing and modern tone-poem
sounds, he really mixes up his time signatures (to keep things interesting
for a choreographer, as well as for himself), it's Suite Success Other News Dorka Keen interview with Marcus Shelby
Equal
Justice Society Oakland
Ballet Fear
of a Brown Planet Indian
Jazz Suites
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