The Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra is my nine member ensemble that includes six horns (bass clarinet, alto saxophone/flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, trombone) along with piano, bass, and drums. This ensemble presents my original compositions and arrangements, jazz standards, and demonstrates my work of presenting the bass clarinet as a legitimate lead horn in modern jazz deserving of equal consideration with more traditional jazz horns like the saxophone and trumpet.

I've been composing and arranging my work for this group since 2001 and have always loved how it allows me to achieve a great power and range with the horn section but still allows soloists the opportunity to be very creative with extended improvisations.

Over recent years I've increasingly explored composing and arranging with multiple different themes that are stated individually but then later in the arrangement find a way to merge in a way that is simultaneously complex, intense, and a greater emotion than when any one of the themes were first stated individually. It's a break from the traditional jazz form and an approach that I think helps a composition have an ever evolving momentum.

The past couple years have also been important ones for me with this ensemble as I've explored the incorporation of Middle Eastern music into jazz. This has stemmed from my own journey to dig deeper into my half-Egyptian ethnicity and I think it is a insightful reflection of both my American culture (through jazz) and Egyptian culture (through Middle Eastern music). This effort has been a challenging one though as jazz and Middle Eastern music are constructed very differently. While the harmonies in jazz are a crucial element that define its sound, traditional Middle Eastern melodies typically do not use harmony and focus more on unison themes. So in many ways my efforts to merge these two musics is the perfect metaphor for me as an individual who continues to explore and integrate his Americian and Egyptian cultures.
  • Mr. Sunshine and His Eight Bandits
    Mr. Sunshine and His Eight Bandits is a short piece that uses my ensemble's horn section to accompany a drum solo throughout the arrangement. The composition is an example of one of my works than can only be featured with this large ensemble and features powerful bass line along with intricate ornamentations. The composition was inspired by the compositional style of Baltimore tenor saxophonist Gary Thomas and attempts to create different textures to support the solo of ensemble member Mike Kuhl on drums. Also adding to the composition's feel is the use of organ which represents a departure from the instrument textures I normally use in my work.
  • Harper's Choice
    The great jazz saxophonist and composer Billy Harper has been a big inspiration to my own work over the years and this piece is partly a tribute to him. His use of regal cyclical themes inspired this composition which uses a repeating motif over strong shifting harmony before giving way to a hard swinging minor blues. The arrangement also features a ensemble soli section after the solo by alto saxophonist Issa Lambson.
  • A Gentler Sort of Thing
    While much of my composing and arranging over recent years has used more complex harmonies and multiple themes, simpler pretty melodies remain a part of my work and this composition is an example of that. It is very much focused on a pure melody, a solo by Estonian saxophonist Raul Soot, and then some additional movements towards the end of the arrangement.
  • Collage
    Collage is an example of my writing and arranging specifically for this large ensemble. It contains multiple themes and movements which are ultimately merged together after the improvisation section of the tune. It is a tune that works only with this larger ensemble because of the many horns available to me as an arranger in this context.
  • In Pursuit of the 9th Man
    While much of my composing and arranging over recent years has used more complex harmonies and multiple themes, hard swinging compositions are still a huge part of my passion and In Pursuit of the 9th Man is an example. The tune is a challenging one and its title alludes to the challenges of keeping a large nine member jazz ensemble together which is often a major logistical challenge. This version features my bass clarinet solo and one of my ensemble members, Joel Holmes, on a piano solo.
  • Many Moons
    A complex multi-movement composition that opens with a slow exposition till 1:41 when fragments of the theme are reintroduced and added into new components. The piece is reflective of a style I've often focused on using multiple overlapping themes. Solos on this piece are separated by additional composed sections before the original opening theme re-emerges at 11:23 overtop of new shifting harmonies and bass lines. Filmed June 16, 2013 at the 14Karat Cabaret Club in Baltimore, MD featuring: Todd Marcus (bass clarinet) Gary Thomas (tenor sax) Brent Birkhead (flute and alto sax) Russell Kirk (alto sax) Alex Norris (trumpet) Alan Ferber (trombone) Alex Brown (piano) Jeff Reed (bass) Eric Kennedy (drums)
  • Wahsouli
    Wahsouli (which means "my arrival" in Arabic) is an example of one of my more recent fusions of jazz and Middle Eastern music described in the project description for my Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra. It begins with a slow unison theme and then switches to uptempo. The fast themes use a lot of unision playing but also ornamentations by other horns and both of these qualities are common in Middle Eastern influenced melodies. These themes however are placed on top of jazz harmonies which give the work its unique identity as a fusion of Middle Eastern and jazz music. This piece also features one of my bass clarinet solos which demonstrate my ability to improvise on the instrument at fast tempos which are rarely done on bass clarinet. This is reflective of my efforts to establish the bass clarinet as a legitimate lead horn in modern jazz deserving of equal consideration with more traditional jazz horns like the saxophone and trumpet.
  • Message to Prez
    My arrangement of a beautiful composition by Bennie Maupin, one of the few other instrumentalists to utilize the bass clarinet. Here I've taken his piece's repeating bassline and counterline (heard in their original form at 1:15-2:04 ) and fleshed out a full arrangement including new harmonies and additional solo section (at 4:35-7:54). Filmed January 21, 2013 performance at the Kennedy Center with: Todd Marcus (bass clarinet) Lyle Link (tenor sax) Brent Birkhead (flute and alto sax) Russell Kirk (alto sax) Alex Norris (trumpet) Darent Polk (trombone) Xavier Davis (piano) Jeff Reed (bass) Warren Wolf (drums)
  • Blues for Tahrir Suite
    The Blues for Tahrir Suite is an example of my more recent fusion of jazz and Middle Eastern music as explained in the project description for my Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra. This suite presents three movements - Adhan (the Arabic word for the Islamic call to prayer that sounds five times a day from all mosques), Reflections, and Protest. The suite gets its name after Tahrir Square in Cairo Egypt where much of the protests over recent years have been centered. The different movements of the suite attempt to capture different moods of the Arab Spring movement in Egypt. The suite uses Middle Eastern inspired melodies which in a traditional Middle Eastern setting would be played in unison with other instruments or vocalists.
  • The Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra
    The Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra
    A photo of The Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra from a 2009 performance at the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, MD.
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