They told us the Gulf of Mexico was out of oil. Then they drilled deeper and found new, rich deposits. With this recording, young pianist/jazz composer Marcus Roberts shows us that, even in these times of diminishing resources, the blues is an ancient and inexhaustible reservoir of human spirituality, one that we have just begun to explore.
There is a strong Marsalis influence here, not just in the drumming of Jason Marsalis, whose crisp, inventive playing flavors most of the cuts, but in the overall sensibility, which owes a lot to Wynton. Roberts uses simple folk tradition as a grounding, like Wynton, for marvelously complex, refined composition and improvisation. There is also the use of the classic New Orleans horn section – trombone, trumpet, clarinet – and a reliance on ensemble dynamics rather than solos to provide much of the drama. As Roberts says in the notes, “The feeling of solidarity within the band makes it hard to tell when written music becomes group improvisation.”
Not to imply that these musicians are “playing it safe.” The song “Anytime, Any Place,” for example, is a 12 bar blues that modulates through all twelve keys as two bassists and two drummers call and respond to each other (a unique device used on much of the album). Drummers Jason Marsalis and Ali Jackson conclude with an exquisite second-line/Afro-Cuban duo improvisation. It’s a moment like two dancers performing wild, unrehearsed movements simultaneously.
Roberts demonstrates the blues’ universality by adapting it to a constantly shifting landscape. “When The Morning Comes” switches back and forth between a swing and Afro-Cuban groove. “That Was Then, And This Is Now” begins as a traditional New Orleans dirge and slowly evolves into joyous parade music and finally modern swing. “Express Mail Delivery” describes the journey of an important package through alternating major and minor key changes as the time constantly shifts from 6/4 to 4/4 to 3/4 (something Jason M. can do exceedingly well). These variations work only because the band plays as a whole. rather than a sum of musicians and styles.
On Blues For The New Millennium, Roberts and his band travel backwards and forwards in time, they cross continents, swim vast oceans, unearthing exotic blues treasures, but never lose touch with the honest, everyday compassion of the blues.
–Jonathan Tabak
