Marcus Roberts: “Blues for the New Millennium” (Columbia)
The blues have been central to jazz improvisation and composition since the beginning, and pianist Marcus Roberts makes this the premise of his radiant new recording. Conceived as a sweeping look at the past, present and future of blues-drenched jazz, the recording opens with music of Robert Johnson (“Cross Road Blues”) and Jelly Roll Morton (“Jungle Blues”). But once the pianist and his ensemble have tipped their hats to the early giants, they push ahead to Roberts’ scores, offering vividly expressive pieces such as “Jade” and “Heart of the Blues.” The most striking music comes toward the end the of recording, when Roberts and the band play works of remarkable detail, intricacy and expressive range. In these pieces, such as “Whales From the Orient” and “A Servant of the People,” Roberts establishes himself as an accomplished and profound composer. Some of this music may evoke Roberts’ earlier work with Wynton Marsalis’ septet, but here the pianist takes the sublime ensemble writing of that band to new levels of refinement.
