Search - Marcus Strickland :: At Last

Outstanding music from the next wave

David Zehring | La Veta, CO United States | 05/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been reading about Marcus Stickland for some time, but my occasional trips to NYC have never coincided with an opportunity to hear him live, so I decided to check out his music on CD. Boy, I am I glad I did. Supported by the great Robert Glasper on piano, Brandon Owens on bass and Marcus' brother E.J Strickland on drums, this is a BAND, and Marcus is quite clearly a major new (to me , anyway) voice on tenor and soprano. The CD begins with Wayne Shorter's "Iris", and there's a bow to Joe Henderson later in the songlist, his composition "Serenity". The other seven compositions comprise four by Marcus, two by Robert Glasper and one by E.J. Strickland. There's plenty of room within each composition for the four players to lead and to follow, and all do it thoughtfully. These young men all play their instruments with great technical skill, but they also play creatively and, most importantly, as an ensemble, complimenting each other rhythmically and harmonically. What a pleasure to hear a new band play so well together. Don't miss these guys."