Abstractions in Lime Caverns

After paying his dues with bluesmen Albert King and Bobby “Blue” Bland and jazzman Jaki Byard, Michael Marcus had his first album released in 1991, when he was 39. He’s been much more prolific since then, co-leading Cosmosamatics with Sonny Simmons, SaxEmble with Frank Lowe and James Carter, Blue Reality Quartet with Joe McPhee, Warren Smith, and Jay Rosen, and Duology with Ted Daniel as well as Marcus’s many albums as sole leader. Frank Lacy moved to New York in 1981 and soon established himself (primarily as a trombonist) as Art Blakey’s music director, a member of the Mingus Big Band, sideman with Lester Bowie, David Murray Big Band, McCoy Tyner, and Roy Hargrove among others, and a leader in his own right. Tarus Mateen has worked with artists ranging from Christina  Aguilera and OutKast to Betty Carter, Jason Moran, Hargrove, Greg Osby, and Terence Blanchard, to name a few. Jay Rosen of Cosmosamatics is also a member of Trio X with McPhee and Dominic Duval and Resonance Impeders with Chris Dahlgren and Briggan Krauss and has played with Mark Whitecage, Ivo Perelman, Gebhard Ullmann, etc.

Please buy downloads here: Abstractions in Lime Caverns | Michael Marcus (bandcamp.com)

Track Listing:

1. Zight Pulse                                                     5:36

2. Xia Xia (Dancing Flowers Contend)      3:02

3. Banana Pudding                                           2:32

4. Abstractions in Lime Caverns                 5:53

5. Eddy & Jones                                                4:52

6. Crossing the Rio                                           3:44

7. Hueysville                                                      2:48

8. Hillscapes                                                       8:49

9. Lioness of the Trees                                   3:59

10. La Verdad de Nuestro Amor                 3:49

Compositions/arrangements by Michael Marcus. “Hillscapes” is for Andrew Hill. “Hueysville” is for Sonny Simmons.

The recording is dedicated to François Grillot.

Personnel: Michael Marcus: soprano sax (1, 5, 8), tenor sax (3, 6), alto tarogato (4, 7, 10), G clarinet (2), bass flute (9), gong (6); Frank Lacy: French horn (1, 4, 5, 8); Tarus Mateen: Marcoustico acoustic bass (1, 4, 8, 9); Jay Rosen: drums and percussion (1-10)

Recorded, mixed, and mastered on November 26-27, 2021 by Jim Clouse at Parkwest Studios, Brooklyn.Press Quotes:

"Marcus joins the ranks of such visionary jazz clarinetists as Don Byron, John Carter, Jimmy Giuffre, and Perry Robinson." — All About Jazz

"Michael Marcus comes out of Coltrane, Kirk, and Dolphy but has his own sound."  — Thomas Conrad, Downbeat

"Marcus writes some of the finest tunes on the avant-garde scene." — Time Out New York

"Michael Marcus is a passionate player and a fluent composer of themes that inspire improvisers." — Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe

"He plays on that Dolphy-esque knife between inside and outside that makes for joyous listening." — Ben Watson, The Wire

"Michael Marcus has what every saxophone player strives for:  an immediately identifiable sound that speaks of soul, blues, and gritty edginess." — Irwin Block, Montreal Gazette

Musicians: Michael Marcus