Welcome to a special installment of The Truth in His Art. We're here at Artscape 40, and I am your host, Rob Lee. This episode is proudly presented to you by Verizon and Crust by Mac. Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing a renowned jazz musician and composer known for his innovative use of the bass clarinet. He leads a quintet.
Rob Lee:He's made significant impacts in the Baltimore jazz scene contributing both as an activist and an organizer, and this marks the 3rd appearance of this guest on the podcast. I'm thrilled to have him back, especially here at Artscape 40. I'm speaking with him moments after he leaves the stage where his quintet performed on day 3 of Artscape. Please welcome the extraordinary, Todd Marcus. Recently on the stage, you're just, you're here.
Rob Lee:You got your Coke. You got your water. You have Coca Cola, you know, to be very specific.
Todd Marcus:Full strength.
Rob Lee:Full strength. Not the, you know, not the the new Coke. You know, not the diet. Not the, sugar free. It's like, this is legit full Coke.
Todd Marcus:Yes.
Rob Lee:So, shout out and thank you for coming up and, congratulations for just wrapping it up. I like it. You're on, day 3 of art scape here.
Todd Marcus:Yeah. Yeah. We were supposed to play yesterday at the Highway to Nowhere.
Rob Lee:Yeah.
Todd Marcus:Community activist, organizer, colleague of mine, Denise Griffin Yeah. Has been doing a lot of work over there. And so they had a satellite event in the, kinda there in the neighborhoods, satellite programming. And they had some really nice stuff during the day. And then, they had the big stage out there, and then the skies opened up.
Todd Marcus:So all the music got canceled. So it's nice that that we had the chance to to play here on this main stage. You know, it's it's the beautiful kind of built in amphitheater with the the hill Yeah. And people sitting on it. And, yeah, the team did a great job, and the sound crew, and, yeah, it was nice.
Todd Marcus:Really nice.
Rob Lee:So I'm gonna go backwards, a little bit, and we're definitely gonna touch back more onto that. But, I wanna get, you know, for folks who are undipped, uninitiated, could you introduce yourself?
Todd Marcus:I'm Todd Marcus. I'm a bass clarinetist and composer in jazz and also do a lot of incorporating Middle Eastern influences. I'm also Egyptian.
Rob Lee:Yep.
Todd Marcus:And so I've worked that into my music. Separate from my music, I'm very involved in my neighborhood in West Baltimore as part of a nonprofit called Intersection of Change, where we're focusing on poverty related challenges, along Pennsylvania Avenue and our surrounding communities. And that's my my work on the bandstand and off.
Rob Lee:I love it. So since we're we're here we're here at ArtScape 40, and, you know, I got this sort of follow-up question that's adjacent, if you will. Could you share? Usually, I ask, what's that first arts moment? But I wanna hear something around, like, what's one of your favorite summer related arts creativity moments that or experiences that come to mind?
Rob Lee:You know, I think a lot of times we get those festivals that are doing the summer. Obviously, we have Artscape, and, you know, historically, it's been very related to the summer. But what's one that comes to mind for you?
Todd Marcus:One that, was really special is, you know, I had a late start getting into jazz. I grew up playing the band, class music, and marching band, all that stuff. And expressed interest in jazz, but but was kinda turned away because I played the clarinet. And the band director said, no. You played saxophone.
Todd Marcus:So it wasn't till later, you know, I I I went to college here in in, Maryland. That's what brought me down from New Jersey where I grew up. Yeah. And, and so anybody was allowed to participate, and so I started chasing music. And, there was some connection that my mom had to somebody in Massachusetts that they had some sort of summer festival.
Todd Marcus:Yeah. And, she would talk to somebody, and they basically allowed me to sit in on some of the educational programming that they had. Yeah. And there is one of the the masters of the music, his name was he's passed now, Youssef Lateef.
Rob Lee:Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
Todd Marcus:He played the saxophone, the flute, all kinds of like, oboe, you know, all this stuff, like, in jazz. You don't see people playing oboe, and he was very much interested in exploring other cultures like, Asian music, Middle Eastern music. And so I went up there, and and he taught at Amherst for many years. Oh, wow. Amherst College.
Todd Marcus:So it must have been around there. And, I got to go and sit down on one of the workshops. And, you know, it was great. I remember seeing the festival, but that workshop was something because I was so, you know, young and hungry for every little morsel of of information. And he was talking about because he's from Detroit, I originally, I believe.
Rob Lee:Yeah.
Todd Marcus:And, he was talking about his experiences, interactions with John Coltrane. And that's, you know, one of my heroes and biggest influences. And so he was telling the story. He said that, Miles' band, when Coltrane was in it, came and they were doing a a week in Detroit. And, so he he went to see the band and Coltrane would be practicing beforehand.
Todd Marcus:He would play his solo. He'd walk off the bandstand, still be playing in the in the the sets in between. He would go in the bathroom, and he would be practicing. You know, validating all these stories we hear about Coltrane, that he was just, like, this relentless practicer Yeah. And seeking everything.
Todd Marcus:And, and he said, so the gig ended, and he offered to give Coltrane a ride to where he was staying. And he said, I dropped him off, and then I was pulling off. And I looked, and I saw that John had left his beech nut Lifesavers in the car. And I knew how much he he loved his his beech nut Lifesavers, so I went back. And, you know, it was 3 in the morning or 4 in the morning, whatever, and he was practicing.
Todd Marcus:Wow. And so, you know, to me, that was just, like, in that early phase when you're so hungry for any of these stories about our heroes to hear that. And then he thought he added he said he felt, to him, this was just reflective of Coltrane, being this constant collector of information. Yeah. And it was like, he said, with a glass, you put all this information you learn and and collect and connect into this glass until it's just overflowing.
Todd Marcus:And he said, that's what Coltrane was to him. And so, you you asked me about a special kind of summer festival Yeah. Memory. That's gonna be my my call.
Rob Lee:That's that's really great. That's that's really cool. I've been hearing, you know, with this, a lot of folks, talking about, you know, sort of, you know, this being one of those those ones for them. Yeah. Sort of their being involved with able to grace the main stage, and we're gonna be talking about that in a moment because, you know, you still got, you know, some of those stage fumes on you, what have you, that aura, if you will.
Rob Lee:Yeah. But one of the questions I've been asking folks, and I have a sense of it, but I like to hear it, you know, sort of in your own words. What is your what is your art?
Todd Marcus:I would say my art is musical storytelling. I I am a jazz musician. That's the the the discipline, the style of music that I do. And so when people hear my performances, I I think it's no challenge recognizing it as jazz. But, but it's also, as I said, working in Middle Eastern influences, and other just creative things.
Todd Marcus:I people ask a lot of times, well, how do you write music? And for me, it's being inspired by other things I see or I hear. And even, like, in the set that we played today Yeah. The first song we played is called Kalimba Song.
Rob Lee:Yeah.
Todd Marcus:And it's called that because, I wrote that not at the piano or hearing a melody in in my head and playing on my horn, but I wrote it on a kalimba. And, you know, the kalimba is that that wooden box. It's an African instrument. It's got a little, resonator in it. And, and then the pieces of metal.
Todd Marcus:And so, you know excuse me. It's those set pitches. Yeah. And so I started working out a melody on that. And because you could only have certain notes, that was a a really kind of creative framework to to, to draw from, and that and to be in the composition.
Todd Marcus:So when we're playing the melody and you hear these little these different themes and motifs go on, it was based off the kalimba. So, yeah, you know, but but it's about then once once the composition is set, once the playing is ready, it's about then doing a musical story. So the song starts and whether it's the composition, being an adventure and taking on different phases of movements, or the solos Yeah. Really starting slow and then building into an intensity and taking on a musical journey. That's that's what, to me, is is powerful about music.
Todd Marcus:And that's where somebody that doesn't even like jazz, if if you're doing a good job on that storytelling, musical storytelling, that that transcends style and genre.
Rob Lee:Love it. I love it. It's when you you mentioned you said the Columbo. Right? When you mentioned that piece, it made me think of when someone is, like, doing a visual art piece.
Rob Lee:Right? You know, like, I'm gonna be restricted to these colors only and see what I'm able to do within it or within this frame, like the size, these are the dimensions, adding these parameters. I do it a little bit with this. I call it MacGyver ing, if you will.
Todd Marcus:Okay.
Rob Lee:Of like, I'm gonna forget something. I'm gonna use gear that I've not really used. I don't use this regularly, these, these lav mics. I always have a mixer. Yeah.
Rob Lee:You know? And I think it enables you to kinda it it activates, at least, I think, the the problem solving skills I think most artists, creative, and people with a creative intent possess. Yeah.
Todd Marcus:Yeah. And I wonder if maybe on your end too, another kind like, an equivalent of that could be focusing on certain subjects only or restricting. Uh-huh. And maybe, like, when you're talking to someone that's, you know, really kinda famous or whatever and and they, you know, start rambling or or or or just, like, give me not rambling, but giving you, like, stock answers. Yeah.
Todd Marcus:Maybe, like, on your end, just having, like, certain subjects or or you know, like, just different structures, like you said, that that that will force the the conversation to go in a different direction.
Rob Lee:I I try to improvise. A lot of times, when I'm getting something that feels almost canned stock. Yeah. I'm like, alright. I'm gonna you're you're gonna like this.
Rob Lee:I go free jazz, but then I say it. I was like, I'm gonna free jazz this. This is gonna be fully improvised. Okay. Yeah.
Rob Lee:So when you failed at this thing, it's like, woah. Nice. Yeah. Or more so, like, getting sort of stories of perseverance or something that because everyone's had a moment where either they fell short of something and things of that nature, and they kind of expand upon that, versus, yeah, I did this and it turned out great. Next question?
Rob Lee:It's like, no, no, no. This is not driving at the point. And from a I I look at myself almost as the first listener. Mhmm. And it's like, I'm not interested in that answer.
Rob Lee:Yeah. But, you know, I'm sure there's something deeper in it, so I just start going off at the top and trusting in sort of the rest.
Todd Marcus:Yeah. How do you shock do a a a shock to jolt the system or reset the system and and get out of, like, if you're just getting those stock answers and because you're trying to have these authentic that's like that's your whole vibe That is of your podcast and your interviews is like real, meaningful, authentic conversations.
Rob Lee:Good. Absolutely. And so I'm able to get guests like you, you know, you coming in here, you're like, man, I just performed. Rob, you still trying to do this? So I was like, sure, please.
Rob Lee:Yes, Todd, Please. Let's let's make it happen. And I'm gonna move into this this next question. As far as the involvement, so let's talk about it. We're here day 3
Todd Marcus:Mhmm.
Rob Lee:Of, the 40th installment of Artscape. So how how does it feel to have been involved? You're on the other side of it? You don't have the leading up to thing? You've you've you've you've finished your performance.
Rob Lee:You've you're at the, you know, sort of the back end the last the last day of it. How does it feel and what's the significance of, like, this event, like, macroly speaking?
Todd Marcus:Oh, I think it's a very significant one for our city. And as someone that still subscribes to and receives his paper copy of the Baltimore Sun every day, You know, I've been following just the the ups and downs of of artscape through, through the pause during the pandemic, but then everything that's been in the news about the the kind of, shakeup at BOPA and, how even once the the pandemic was winding down, you know, things were kinda tumultuous and tenuous. And so, having the resumption, I guess it was last year, of the festival, was really significant. Because this has been what is it? The 40th year or something?
Rob Lee:40th installment. Yeah.
Todd Marcus:And, you know, it's obviously, it's a beloved festival here for us in Baltimore. And, so having it resume, having it get back to a full force has been significant. And, you know, props to the team because it's it's it's a night. It's it's no small undertaking to do this Correct. And then to contend with it raining every day.
Todd Marcus:And so that's that's maddening the amount the amount of details and everything. So, yeah, to me as as someone that's here in Baltimore and has wonderful memories for years of coming down to enjoy the festival Yeah. Having had the chance to play at the festival. I'd, most years, I'll volunteer at, the Baltimore Jazz Lion booth. Yeah.
Rob Lee:I wouldn't able to do it
Todd Marcus:this year, but usually be out there doing a few shifts. Yeah. And, of course, it's always hot as anything. Right? And but there's it's interesting to me that there's that camaraderie.
Todd Marcus:Like, even with the Heat, people still come out because it's it's like a Baltimore thing. Right? And so so, yeah, I'm I'm happy that it's it's been reviving and restoring these last couple years.
Rob Lee:So since we're and thank you for that because I I agree with all points. Like, you know, as I've touched on, in earlier interviews in this series, I've come with friends, over the years and gone to many of them and just really happy that, you know, as you said, the resumption like last year and coming back and being able to contend with all the things, whether it be the heat, whether it be the rain, whether it be sort of the changes, and it's always something that it's not a moving target per se. There is a structure, but literally when something's subject to change and being on this side of it now, not it's not only as an attendee, but as a person that's in the sort of production and the storytelling component around it, just seeing, like, wow, there is a lot that goes into a production. Yeah. And it didn't start, like, July, you know, July 1.
Rob Lee:It started July 1 last year Right. Right. And and planning out what things are gonna look like. And being involved in sort of the milestone year. Like this, the first one was in 82 and then we had those 2 years of the pause.
Rob Lee:So this is the 40th one and we have those milestones of 10, you know, or even to, like, 25 and then the tens, and then when we get to 50. Right? It's always you gotta do it up. Up. So you performed with Todd Marcus' jazz quartet quintet.
Rob Lee:Right? Yeah. Tonight was, this morning, raising Todd Marcus Quintet. So how was that, you know, performed? What was that experience like?
Rob Lee:And what was sort of the any considerations or, you know, adaptations that are made for doing it on, like, sort of the the artscape main stage setting versus what traditionally you may be doing it at maybe a a club or another festival type? What were some of the considerations?
Todd Marcus:Well, for me, it's much the same. Hiring the musicians, making sure we got a set list, the band that played today. We've never all 5 of us played together before. So it's doing the preparation to get everybody the music. Had we been able to perform yesterday, had it not gotten rained out, that would have been, like, a test run.
Todd Marcus:So today, making sure we were here on time, talk over the music Yeah. And then coordinate. But, you know, obviously, it's it's an outdoor festival, so the whole sound, stuff is a little more amped up. But it's no different really than, you know, know, if you're playing at a smaller club, you still arrive, get the sound check squared away. Yeah.
Todd Marcus:So it's the same thing, just a literally a bigger stage, and bigger venue.
Rob Lee:And and you guys, it was funny, like, seeing you guys just kinda, like, real chill of real max. Yeah. And I was, like, oh, they're ready to go. I was, like, aren't you shouldn't you guys be, like, pacing in a back room right now? I was like, nah, we're cool.
Rob Lee:You're jazz guys. You're like, we're we're ready. I was like, oh, so this is what's happening. And, you know, it's good to hear that.
Todd Marcus:Yeah. I mean, the musicians are wonderful. Eric Kennedy on drums, Alan Johnson on piano, Michael Bouie on bass, and Justin Mendez on, on the alto saxophone. And they're all amazing musicians, so it's not it's not any nerves kinda stuff because, you know, it's I'm not I'm not hiring people that haven't done this before and that aren't performing at a super high level. So it's just fun being together, the fellowship, and the music making.
Rob Lee:The the and that's the thing. I think it's this sort of aura and this energy that's around it despite any of the stuff that is kinda just normal things that can happen, it's sort of a collaborative energy. It's a creative energy, and you can feel it palpable, whether it be, you know, walking down, like, Mount Royal, what have you, and seeing all the vendors, and they're kinda doing their stuff or even popping over here to the main stage. You just see people just enjoying themselves, having fun, enjoying the music. And, you know, folks like you and your folks and, all of the people performing providing that sort of soundtrack as light as Hannibal Buress was.
Rob Lee:It's like the best iPod ever.
Todd Marcus:You know? Mhmm. So And that's that's one of those beauties of Artscape is the the connectivity. Right? I, my wife's out of town this weekend, but usually, we'll come down together at least one day and just walk around together.
Todd Marcus:And we play the, the, contacts game, which is to see who runs into who do we who knows more people than we run into. Right? And and that's one of the beauty of it. It's just, like, you're down here. It's a massive festival, but you run into all these people that you see.
Todd Marcus:Like, today, we we before and after they said, I'm running into fellow musicians that are hanging out or, are playing playing later on. And, so there's a bunch of friends and and folks that I know that came out. I saw some people from, I saw chef Crystal who was here. I saw, Julia from Creative Alliance. You know, like, so people from, you know, different institutions in town, and I love that.
Todd Marcus:You know, then just run into people that are out all coming together because we love seeing music and being out here and even with the heat. So that's one of the other things that's really, I think, special about artscape. I think it's that
Rob Lee:almost that creative family reunion in some ways. It's like, oh, that's my cousin that's over there in this part of Baltimore that does this. And and because it's I think it it feels like it's, and I had this conversation, like, maybe off mic around, like, how it feels like it's a little bit more of us, and that's why you're seeing Yeah. More and more, like, oh, I know that. Oh, man, you here?
Rob Lee:Like, hey, shout out, bro.
Todd Marcus:How are you? It's something that Baltimoreans come to. It's not it's not, you know, like a what the critique oftentimes has been in Baltimore that sometimes things, events, development is the question is is
Rob Lee:that who's that for? Right?
Todd Marcus:Does that really benefit our people and our communities? And I feel like Baltimore is is an example of something that really embraces it. It's for Baltimore. Yeah. We we have people from out of town.
Todd Marcus:We want more people to come and tour us and everything, but it's great that you're seeing Baltimoreans out enjoying it and having that community and fellowship.
Rob Lee:I love it. So kinda doubling on to that point, from your perspective and your you know, you have the activism part. You're you're you're a Baltimorean. You're you're from Jersey. Well, we we brought you in.
Rob Lee:You you one of us. What are the characteristics for that, you know, just really stick out about Baltimore, like arts and culture? It can be specific to, you know, music in that that lane or more macroly, but what's your thoughts in that area?
Todd Marcus:I've always felt that Baltimore definitely has an identity. Musically, I can speak to that as as a musician.
Rob Lee:Yeah.
Todd Marcus:I feel like peep there'll be people sitting around, like, it's conversation with musicians in New York, and they'll start talking about, like, yeah. Who are the cats in Baltimore? And then they'll start listening to people, and then, like, yeah. Baltimore is something in the water down there. Like, because there's there's definitely, like, a a a vibe and an intensity and a kind of a identity of the music here.
Todd Marcus:But I think that it extends to visual arts and and others as well. Like, you know, obviously, John Waters is a a big force with more of the I don't know. Would it be fair to say avant garde or, you know, adventurous or right? And and there's, like, that whole, like excuse me. There's that whole kind of culture that surrounds it.
Todd Marcus:I think about Joyce Scott.
Rob Lee:Yeah.
Todd Marcus:Amazing artist, who actually is in in my name from Sandtown Yeah. Yeah. And, lives in in in Penn North for the past many years. They have stayed and are these amazing artists that really just are super unique Yeah. And have their strong personality.
Todd Marcus:And it's not it's it's it's it's a little more, like, quirky. Right? Like, our Baltimore vibe is a quirky one. Right? And maybe it's because everybody's sprinkling Old Bay on everything that you have it.
Todd Marcus:But, like, it's it's definitely got an identity that is Baltimore.
Rob Lee:That's a good point. That's a really good point. So the last thing I I wanna do, before I go into the rapid fire questions, I put a special one in there for you, because you asked for it. Rapid fire. So any any final thoughts on sort of RSCAPE 40 before we move into those rapid fire that you would like to share before we go into rapid fire?
Todd Marcus:Just that I I I'm appreciative to everybody at BOPA for the hard work to to make this happen. And like you were talking about earlier, just the amount of logistics and lead time I'm planning is insane. At the same time as the whole BOPA kinda office has been reconfiguring and restaffing and everything. So props to them for for for the work that that goes into making this happen.
Rob Lee:Absolutely. So that's a really good point. Alright. So here's the rapid fire.
Todd Marcus:Well, I
Rob Lee:worked I worked on this first one. No. I worked I'm gonna say that one second because I think you'll appreciate it more. Be before I go into the favorite arts skate memory. You know, favorite arts skate memory that comes to mind is, you know, attending and also performing.
Rob Lee:Those are 2 different perspectives, so I think that's a wealth right there for you to maybe pull from. Which one that comes to mind for you?
Todd Marcus:I am gonna give you 2. 1 is the first time that I came to ArtScape. This is probably 20 years ago, and the great saxophonist, Joshua Redman, was performing on the same stage where we play today. Wow. And I walked from my house, which is over in Sandtown, and, cut through Bolton Hill, made our way here, and then walk into the hill.
Todd Marcus:And it was packed out and, threatened our way to find a little space to sit and just that that first I think that was my 1st year. Yeah. So just the excitement of here was a great artist that I was gonna get to see and seeing it packed out and just the energy. That was that was really special. And then my other special memory is, back, you know, when I had no money, and, I was walking around and looking at the visual art, and I saw this artist who had a painting of John Coltrane.
Todd Marcus:Yeah. And, there was no way I could afford the painting, but he had prints. And so I bought one of the prints, and I held on to it for years. And then I got it framed.
Rob Lee:Yeah.
Todd Marcus:And it sits in my bass clarinet layer above my desk. And the artist is Ernest Shaw
Rob Lee:Nice. Who is one of
Todd Marcus:my favorite artists, visual artists in Baltimore. Great guy. And, you know, of course, his his art has been blowing up over this past decade plus, and he's in the major museums and everything. And, but there's this connection because he's done a lot of work with my community nonprofit, Intersection of Change, partnering with our Jubilee Arts program, where he's done a lot of murals with us. And so, you know, those that connection, that walking through seeing this amazing artist whose work captured my eye, having it framed in my room, and and then, you know, having these other connections.
Todd Marcus:So those are some of my my special RCA moments.
Rob Lee:That's great. That's great. Shout out to Arne Shaw.
Todd Marcus:Yeah.
Rob Lee:He's been on the pod, so, yeah, big big fan. No. This is the one. This is the one I got for you. Mhmm.
Rob Lee:I hope it lands. If you could play a gig in any Star Trek related planet, Vulcan, Betazette, Risa, which one would you choose and what would your set list include? Wow. I really thought about that. That was that one's for you, my guy.
Todd Marcus:You're not playing around. You know, they talk about doing some research.
Rob Lee:Because you're a big truckie, so I wanted to give you some love.
Todd Marcus:That's right. I mean, you didn't just ask a question. You, like, you create a paradigm here that I gotta work within. Wow. That's deep.
Todd Marcus:That is deep. Oh, man. Can I do can I go on tour and play all of the planets?
Rob Lee:Okay. You're gonna play all of them. That's fine.
Todd Marcus:Yeah.
Rob Lee:What's going on with the set list?
Todd Marcus:I I mean, intergalactic peace. Right? I gotta do something with
Rob Lee:the Klingons. I gotta go to
Todd Marcus:the Romulan Senate. You already know it when you go to Beta's ed. You know, they're gonna be into it because they're the planet of empaths. Right? Go to Riza.
Todd Marcus:Right? And, get a horgon, you know, out of there. And, man. Yeah. So what's on the set list?
Todd Marcus:I don't know, man. I might play I might play, like, the same stuff we were playing today. Like, playing my original charts and, you know, I I could say play some of my Middle Eastern influenced pieces, but, but maybe not make it so ethnically tied to my my Egyptian heritage. But maybe, yeah. Oh, boy.
Todd Marcus:We play windmills like we play every day. I'm sure that windmills will still be around as a power source in in the future.
Rob Lee:I'm confident
Todd Marcus:in a 100 years. Right? Man. Yeah. But we're gonna have a good time in that gig.
Rob Lee:I love it. I love it. It's like a dude as tourists. So I'm I'm glad that that landed. I'm happy about that.
Rob Lee:That is
Todd Marcus:great. Best interview question ever.
Rob Lee:So I wanna close out here and and meet with these two last points. 1, I wanna thank you for coming on and spending some time with me today.
Todd Marcus:Thanks for having me.
Rob Lee:Absolutely. And and 2, tell the folks where they can check you out on the socials.
Todd Marcus:Always go to toddmarkusjazz.com because from there, you can link to my Instagram, which is the the main social that I use at this point, but, Facebook as well. And then there's my YouTube channel. So all of you can just link from the website, toddmarkusjazz.com.
Rob Lee:And there you have it, folks. I wanna again thank Todd Marcus for coming on to the podcast and sharing his experience moments after rocking the stage. And again, I wanna thank my presenting sponsors, Crust by Mac and Verizon for helping to present these conversations. And I'm Rob Lee saying that there's art, culture, and community in and around your neck of the woods, you've just gotta look for it.
