Todd Marcus will play at the D.C. Jazz Loft Series' opening show tomorrow. Carlyle V. Smith/CapitalBop
Editorial board
Tomorrow, Todd Marcus, Baltimore’s undersung bass clarinet master, will bring his remarkable nine-piece ensemble to the Dunes for the kickoff show at CapitalBop’s D.C. Jazz Loft Series at the DC Jazz Festival. (Speaking of which, if you haven’t checked out our full, day-by-day guide to the festival, it’s here.) Marcus’s band has a stellar CD under its belt, 2006’s In Pursuit of the Ninth Man, but he’s always writing new material. It’ll be a thrill to hear what he comes up with at the Dunes.
In the video below, filmed at a botanical garden just outside D.C., Marcus discusses the sense of community his big band fosters, as well as his broad influences — including Egyptian music and Western classical fugues. At the Dunes, he’ll appear on a double bill with Christie Dashiell, whose musical roots also stretch far and wide; she mixes the sounds of pop and R&B with her command of classic jazz techniques. This exciting double bill is only the first of three shows we’re putting on at the festival, including a Tarbaby-Kris Funn performance on Saturday at the Fridge, and the Jazz Loft MegaFest all day and night on Saturday, June 9. 
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Video directed, produced and edited by Sarah Cowan. Filmed by Giovanni Russonello.
[…] was fortunate enough to have Marcus perform with his nine-piece orchestra at our D.C. Jazz Loft Series at the DC Jazz Festival this past June. He recorded an excellent and lushly arranged 2006 album with the nonet; listening […]