The DC Public Library and the Goethe-Institut Washington present a continuation of the Sunday jazz series which took place at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Library until it closed for renovations in Spring 2017.
For October, Jazz in the Basement presents Harry Appelman (piano) and Todd Marcus (bass clarinet). This lovely afternoon of local jazz includes conversation with the artists.
Harry Appelman, piano:
Jazz pianist and educator Harry Appelman has performed on concert stages on five continents. He has been chosen three times to participate in U.S. State Department music tours overseas--to South and Central America, Eastern Europe, Turkey and Cyprus, and South Asia. He performed in Egypt in February 2008 with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, and has performed at the Festival Gnaouas et Musiques du Monde in Essaouira, Morocco, and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Mr. Appelman is a member of Afro Bop Alliance, winners of a 2008 Latin Grammy, and has contributed several arrangements to the group's recordings. He has toured the United States and Canada with the Woody Herman Orchestra and the Artie Shaw Orchestra. A recipient of a 2012 Maryland State Arts Council Award for composition, he was a finalist in both the 1987 and 1988 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competitions (finishing second in 1988) and one of three prizewinners in the 1989 Great American Jazz Piano Competition.
Todd Marcus, bass clarinet:
Though use of bass clarinet in jazz typically leans heavily towards avant-garde and free-jazz styles, Marcus’ straight-ahead playing has carved out a unique voice for the instrument in modern jazz. His music swings hard with both a fiery and introspective intensity but also maintains a strong lyrical sensibility. Marcus has annually been voted a Rising Star in
Downbeat Magazine’s Annual Critics Poll since 2013 on “clarinet” and “miscellaneous instrument” categories; the
Washington Post writes, “Listeners won’t have any trouble recognizing Marcus’s compelling gifts for composing and arranging.”
JazzTimes magazine adds, “In Marcus’ hands, the bass clarinet is no longer a specialty instrument. Its unique timbral richness becomes incisive, fully capable of forceful expression.” Based in Baltimore, Maryland, Marcus actively leads small ensembles such as the Todd Marcus Quintet, Quartet, Trio, and Duo as well as his nine-piece band, The Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra, on original compositions and jazz standards.
Jazz in the Basement is a monthly concert series featuring local jazz artists, coordinated with the assistance of volunteers Bertrand Uberall and John Cook. The concerts are intended to highlight young artists, new composers, or unique jazz sounds to broaden the listening landscape of our Washington, D.C. audiences. DC Public Library is a proud supporter of our local music community and looks forward to expanding valuable resources to assist musicians in their creative and professional endeavors.
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